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A person is classified as having major depression when he has 5 or more episodes of depression for at least 2 weeks. The major depression symptoms are that the patient starts feeling sad, miserable, is unable to sleep, unable to eat, self hate, guilt, low self esteem etc. In severe cases the patient also suffers from panic attack such as hallucinations and delusions. Armed with all the major depression information one can make out if a person is suffering from depression.
Are there any tests to determine major depression
Unfortunately, there are no blood tests, laboratory tests or X-rays that can help get major depression information. Even tests like MRI, CT, PET scans can detect the complex brain changes caused by the how long does a panic attack last neurotransmitters. Diagnosis is a painstaking task of observing the patient to have all major depression information before deciding on major depression medication.
What are the of major depression symptoms
It is almost impossible for a doctor to detect signs of major depression symptoms without the patient telling him. Sadness, depression, helplessness can be due to many things like some personal grief or tragedy. Even post child birth women have been known to suffer from depression. Even natural antidepressants like meditation and exercise do t help.
What are the criteria for evaluating depression
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has spelled out the criteria for diagnosis of major depression. The patient must have at least 5 or more major depression symptoms in 2 weeks. These symptoms should not be related to some other issue such as drug abuse, grief over the loss of a loved one or some sort of medication. This is accompanied by feeling of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, loss of energy, fatigue, inability to take decisions, etc. Many people try natural antidepressants but those don’t work.
He will be in a depressed state most of the day. He will stop taking any interest in the day to day activities. They should be severe enough to make the person a social outcast who is unable to mix with others. It should start hampering normal day to day activities like office work, school work or even normal household work. The only way they can get back to normal life is by using major depression medication.
A mental health professional will run some screening test to diagnose major depression. He will run a screening test like Beck Depression Inventory or Hamilton Rating scale. This consists of 20 questions and the patient’s mental state is evaluated depending on his answers.
The questions are about the symptoms, their duration and frequency. It will be about family history of mental health problems, alcohol and drug abuse, any personal grief or tragedy, etc. It will be about suicidal tendency and feeling of worthlessness, helplessness and acute frustration and if he has been practicing any natural antidepressant techniques. The doctor will perform a complete mental evaluation before coming up with a diagnosis of major depression and prescribing major depression medication.
