What is Clinical Depression?

Clinical depression is quite a common condition and affects around 16% of the population at least one time in their lives, and it is described it as a situation that has got to the point of disruption to an individual's social life and/or their daily duties such as work and home life.

Clinical depression is found more in some Western countries like Australia where one in four women and one in six men will be found to suffer from it. It has been found that clinical depression is the main cause of disability in the US and the World Health Organization tell us that it is expected to become the secondary leading cause of disability in the world by 2020 after heart disease.

Clinical depression symptoms are varied and often include feelings and emotions that can be found in people without depression. Due to this health practitioners have to determine a proper diagnosis by applying a number of symptomatic criteria as suggested in the DSM-IV-TR or ICD-9/ICD-10.

The DSM-IV-TR criteria tells us for accurately diagnosing clinical depression, a person may be diagnosed as clinically depressed if he/she exhibits one of the following two elements for a period of two weeks or more:

A depressed mood or being unable to find pleasure from usually pleasurable events (otherwise known as Anhedonia).

Combining any of the two elements above with any five of the list of other symptoms experienced over the same two-week period is sufficient to diagnose clinical depression in a person:

* Being overwhelmed by feelings of sadness or fear

* Or inability to feel emotion (feeling empty)

* Finding less pleasure or interest in all, or almost all activities, even activities that they used to find pleasure in

* A changing of appetite and a noticeable affect either up or down in weight.

* Disruptive sleep patterns, which may cause insomnia, loss of REM sleep, or excessive sleep otherwise known as hypersomnia.

* Agitation affecting the psychomotor functions, or retardation

* Feeling drained, a mental or physical loss of energy.

* Feelings of guilt, helplessness, despair, anxiety or fear

* Trouble concentration or making decisions

* Slowing of cognition, including memory

* Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide including trying to kill oneself

A person can be diagnosed with clinical depression despite the fact that they do all of the criteria. As well as, the debate over the relative importance of genetic or environmental factors, or gross brain problems as against psychosocial functioning, is still currently ongoing.

Treating clinical depression may be different for each individual and that is important to remember. In fact, there are as many methods used to treat clinical depression as there are symptoms. Never the less, the two main methods used when treating the condition are usually medication and psychotherapy. In the event that medication fails, it is possible that a third treatment known as ECT or electroconvulsive therapy may be tried.

Clinical Depression Treatment is you free resource for depression and depression related information.

Visit Clinical Depression Treatment to find out more.

Clinical Depression - When Life Is Just Too Hard
No human being has ever walked the planet Earth for any length of time without experiencing sadness, a feeling of isolation, or anger. Those feelings ...

Symptoms Of Depression - A Natural Treatment To Cure It
Depression is the condition in which you feel intense sadness, or despair that takes you towards isolation. You do not get the feeling or desire to in...

The Keys To Fighting Depression
Know your enemy. It was the advice which the great Chinese Warrior Sun Tzu gave to his soldiers on the eve of battle, and which led them to many triu...

How to Know if your Depression May be Clinical or Otherwise
Defined, Medical (aka clinical) depression is a treatable illness that can strike anyone at any age. It usually is diagnosed if a person has been expe...

Clinical Depression And Its Symptoms
According to the definitions of most medical, psychological and psychiatric bodies, there is a commonality in the diagnosis of depression. Most depres...

Depression - A Few Facts About The Clinical Condition Of Depression Anyone Should Know
Depression is not the same as having the blues, nor is it feeling down in the dumps. This clinical condition is much more serious than a passing mood ...

Common Signs of Depression
Everyone feels down every now and then, and this is normal. However, clinical depression is lasting and intense - the gloom can be overwhelming to an ...

Depression - Symptoms & Types
One of the biggest problems in this world right now is the problem of depression.Depression is a listed mental disorder which includes altered mood; i...

Causes Of Depression
Unfortunately, the causes of depression are not the same for everyone, therefore it is extremely hard to put into general terms what the exact causes ...

What Does It Mean To Be Depressed?
Depression is an overused word to describe how someone may be feeling. It is often used to describe moments of sadness or disappointment, where those...

A Comprehensive Introduction To The Depression Signs And Symptoms
Depression is, rightly, characterised by a sustained period of unhappiness yet many symptoms of depression are not linked to the idea of depression in...

Suffering from Depression? There is Hope and Help Available for You
It may surprising to learn that as many as 20 out of 100 people experience clinical depression every year. These aren't the normal blues most people e...

Why Is Depression Increasing In The US
Of all of the medical issues that are prevalent in US at present, clinical depression is not only hard to diagnose but more often it is quite grueling...

Clinical Treatments for Depression
Depression is an illness that is very treatable for the most part. Clinical treatments for Depression can include a wide variety of treatments. If you...

Treating Depression: How To Get Help If You Are Suffering From Depression
Depression has always been a big taboo in most societies. There are a lot of people who feel they are suffering from depression but don't know what to...