Depression

Signs and Symptoms
Everyone gets “down” sometimes. We’ve all had the “blues” for one reason or another. The question is, “When is it just a low mood and when is it depression?” This is a really complicated question because there isn’t a good answer. It’s an important question to answer because it will help you figure out what to do about it.
There are 3 key areas to look at:
Frequency – How often do you feel down or depressed? Every day? Three time a week? Once a month? All the time?
Severity – How bad is it? Do you feel suicidal? Totally hopeless and stuck in a dark hole? Or just kind of lousy and negative?
Duration – How long does it last? Until you see your partner? Until you go home for the weekend? Just a couple hours? Does it drag on for days week, or months? Have you felt like this your whole life?

Some people experience depression as sadness and despair, but others experience depression as a loss of interest in things they used to enjoy; an empty and lifeless existence.

Here are some other indicators of depression:

• Depressed mood – hopelessness and emptiness
• Nothing seems to interest you anymore, including former hobbies, social activities, and sex.
• Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
• Sleep - Insomnia or oversleeping (also known as hypersomnia).
• Keyed up,” unable to sit still, anxious, restless or sluggish, slow speech and body movements, lack of responsiveness.
• Physically drained; even small tasks are exhausting.
• Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. Harsh criticism of perceived faults and mistakes.
• Inability to focus. Difficulty making decisions.
• Grouchy, easily annoyed, and frustrated by little things.

If you experience some of the above symptoms, you may be depressed. Please contact the University Counseling Center at 491-6053.

Depression can cause or exacerbate many physical symptoms, including headaches, backaches, diarrhea or constipation, abdominal pain, and aching joints.

Sometimes suicidal thoughts can be an indication of severe depression and should always be taken seriously. If you, or someone you know, are having suicidal thoughts please contact the University Counseling Center and (970) 491-6053.

You can seek help and support no matter how serious (or insignificant) you think your mood might be. Talking to someone helps whether you have depression or not.

What to do
Eat healthy – Sound familiar? Our mood can be dramatically influenced by what we eat. Eating junk food, fat, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and other drugs will lower your mood.

Exercise and sleep well – When we do it least, is probably when we need it the most.

Practice good time management skills – Everyone could benefit from taking a look at how we spend our time and taking care of our responsibilities.

Practice relaxation and stress management skills – Relaxation tapes, meditation, deep breathing; given the chance, they really do work.

Pay attention to your emotions – Awareness of internal feelings is the first step. Dealing with feeling right away can keep them from getting bigger!

Develop and use a support system – Relationships with others; friends, family, teachers, counselors, spiritual advisors, can have a major impact on your mood.

All of these strategies can be helpful, but most importantly, talk to someone about what you’re feeling!  

Resources
Try an online depression screening:http://www.med.nyu.edu/psych/screens/depres.html
The American Psychological Association website for depression:http://www.apa.org/topics/topicdepress.html

Facts
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 10 American adults — or approximately 21 million people ― suffer from a depressive illness each year .

Rates of depression in women are twice as high as they are in men.
Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Koretz D, Merikangas KR, Rush AJ, Walters EE, Wang PS. The epidemiology of major depressive disorder: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003; Jun 18;289(23):3095-105.

Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44.
The World Health Organization. The World Health Report 2004: Changing History, Annex Table 3: Burden of disease in DALYs by cause, sex, and mortality stratum in WHO regions, estimates for 2002. Geneva: WHO, 2004.
 
Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.
Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.

While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the median age at onset is 32. Kessler RC, Berglund PA, Demler O, Jin R, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62(6):593-602.

Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance abuse.
Kessler RC, Berglund PA, Demler O, Jin R, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62(6):593-602

Depression can “somatize,” or become expressed in the body. 80% of people who see physicians are depressed.
J I Escobar et al, “Somatization in the Community,” Archives of General Psychiatry (1987) 44:713-718; and Z J Lipowski, “Somatization: Medicine's Unsolved Problem,” Psychosomatics, 1987, 28:294-297. More recent studies have come to the same broad conclusions. See A J Barsky, “Somatization and Medicalization in the Era of Managed Care,” Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 1995, 274:1931-1934.

80% of depressed people are not currently having any treatment.
“National Healthcare Quality Report”, 2003.

References
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm

Resources/Links

http://www.halfofus.com/
http://www.have-a-heart.com/
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/depressionmenu.cfm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175