Q&A: What are the symptoms of depression and when should drugs be used for treatment?
July 12th, 2010 | 
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Qυеѕtіοn bу Crazy_person: Whаt аrе thе symptoms οf depression аnd whеn ѕhουld drugs bе used fοr treatment?
Lіkе symptoms οthеr thаn thе obvious ones lіkе feeling down.
Whеn dοеѕ someone gеt thе top whеrе hеlр frοm medication іѕ needed. I know someone whο іѕ suffering frοm a form οf depression bυt іѕ apprehensive thаt thе antidepression tablets wіll hаνе worse side effects. Itѕ hard tο know іf іtѕ severe depression οr even depression аt аll.
Best аnѕwеr:
Anѕwеr bу bostonchick
Whеn уου ѕtοр doing thе things уου delight іn doing, аnd secluding yourself frοm уουr friends аnd thе world, іt’s time tο gеt οn medication.
Know better? Leave уουr οwn аnѕwеr іn thе comments!
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: im basicly doing everything the 1st answers says
According to the diagnostic and statistical manual IV, “Major depression” is classified as at least 5 out of the 9 symptoms, one of which must be:
1/ Feeling depressed/down
or
2/ Feeling like nothing interests you any longer – even things that you used to like doing
for most of the day, for most days of the week
The other 7 symptoms are:
Fatigue
Poor attention
Change in appetite/consequence
Sleep changes (sleeping more or sleeping less with or without early morning wakening)
Everything slows down (the person moves slower, speaks slower, etc.)
Feeling excessively guilty / at fault / worthless
Suicidal thoughts/thoughts that life isn’t worth living
Yes it is right that there are side effects to the medications, but if the person is quite depressed that it’s affecting their life substantially, medications might be needed – if only to help them pick themselves up again.
This is especially the case if suicidal thoughts are involved as their safety is of significant importance.
But, one business you need to keep in mind is that these medications take a long time to work.. at least 6 weeks for them to start to feel better. They may even feel worse after a week or 2. They also need to continue the medications for 12 months for it to be effective.
Counseling might be an option initially if the person you’re talking about is wary about taking drugs and apprehensive about their side effects, but if there is any indication of suicidal ideation, it could be quite serious and counseling might not be sufficient. All the best!
also if you are under 18 medication is not urge but there is exceptions
bostonchick and John L provide solid guidance.
When I was telling my friends I had been diagnosed with depression, a couple of them said they’d seen signs that something was incorrect but weren’t sure they should tell me. I’m glad you’re there to help this person out.
Change of appetite
Change of sleeping patterns, sleeping more or less
Not doing things you used to do/becoming withdrawn and being bored
Fatigue
Doing the small things become harder
Anxiety
You feel guilty for being a burden and feel like a failure
You look at the negative most of the time and can’t reckon visibly.
You feel lost in this world and life is passing you by.
Unexplained physical pains, headaches, back pain etc.
Change in personal hygiene and appearance
Crying easily, feeling alone.
The doctor can do blood tests to see if there are physical reasons why a person may be depressed, i.e a chemical imbalance in the brain. Depression does not neccessarily have to be treated with medication though. A psychologist can work through the feelings and work with the person to improve.
Also, there are lots of websites with in rank on depression.
hopeless
alienation from friends and family
change in appetite
suicidal thoughts
feeling tired all the time
sleep sample differs
anxiety
doesnt take care of oneself
everybody has the blues sometimes..but when it last more than week..thats when you need to seek help
There are several online resources for depression screening.
http://www.findingstone.com/services/tests/depressiontest.htm
http://www.med.nyu.edu/psych/screens/depres.html
http://www.depression.medgrip.com
By using one or all of them you can have some basic thought.