Am I depressed?

Have you often been down and thought to yourself “Am I depressed?”. You are not the only one. Although the symptoms for depression are all over the web and wide in number, misdiagnoses have occurred. People who think they have depression might not have it, but rather something else.

 

Am I depressed: Other disorder possibilities

One psychologist claimed that people who think they suffer from depression may really be suffering from an anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or even addiction.[1] This is because the symptoms for depression overlap with symptoms for other illnesses. Symptoms such as weight loss, fatigue, and irritability are common in people with depression, but these symptoms are also indicative of diabetes. In fact, conditions such as delirium, dementia, thyroid disorders, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder can be mistaken for depression because the symptoms are very similar.

 

Am I depressed: Other non-disorder possibilities

One of the core symptoms of depression is a constant feeling of a negative outlook on life, “i.e. having the blues”, but ongoing sadness can also have non-disease causes. For example, it is common for teenagers to go through a period, or even periods, of sadness and demotivation, but only around 4% are actually suffering from depression. Excessive grief can be another cause: it is not uncommon for people who live on their own with a dog to feel down for an extended period of time after the dog passes away. Some doctors may even shutter off symptoms of depression in the elderly as normal signs of aging, although what constitutes depression in the elderly is a highly disputed subject.

 

Take the test to find out

In case you’re wondering, you can take this short depression test, designed specifically for determining depression, that you can use to find out if you have depression or not. If you score a really high depression probability, I advise you to seek professional drug-free help here.

 

 

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/recognizing-warning-signs