Feelings of Doom and Despair: Clinical Depression

Most of us experience a bit of depression from time to time, as a feeling of sadness or unhappiness or just feeling blue. Clinical depression goes beyond these usually fleeting, short-term moods and is characterized as a severe depressive mood disorder which persists over time and interferes with every aspect of one’s life.

Clinical depression is defined as a persistent state so severe that a person requires the assistance of a mental health professional. While everyone’s physical makeup is different, generally a person suffering from five or more symptoms of depression that persist for at least two weeks is considered to be a major depressive disorder or clinical depression. The severity of these symptoms and other individual factors of the patient’s experience are also taken into consideration by doctors before doctors make a diagnosis.

Mental health experts estimate that approximately 19 million people in the United States suffer from clinical depression and that 17 percent of people will experience depression at some time in their lives. Women are more likely than men to experience depression, and approximately 25 percent of all women experience symptoms severe enough to require medical treatment.

People who have a family history of clinical depression – that is a parent or grandparent or even a cousin or aunt has experienced depression – are more likely to experience the condition as well. While there is a hereditary basis to depression, if it has occurred in your family that does not necessarily mean you will become depressed at some point in your life. Medical experts believe that depression is anywhere from 40 to 70 percent hereditary, but that environmental factors play a significant role in triggering depression. Traumatic or extremely stressful events, such as the death of a loved one or divorce, can trigger depression, especially if a person has a family history of the condition.

Included among the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health’s list of  the symptoms of depressions that doctors look for when making a diagnosis of depression are persistent sadness, thoughts of death or suicide, anxiety, pessimism, worthlessness, helplessness, fatigue and irritability. Depressed people also often experience insomnia, oversleep or fail to sleep throughout the night. They also may experience difficulty making decisions or concentrating, as well as appetite changes, which can result in significant weight gain or loss. It is also very common for people experiencing depression to lose interest in the kinds of activities and hobbies they used to enjoy, or to retreat from relationships with friends and family.

While most people associate moodiness and other mental experiences as signs of depression, clinical depression also manifests itself physically. Chronic pain, headaches or digestive disorders that can’t be attributed to other illnesses but that persist for long periods of time without responding to treatment can also be signs of depression.

Unfortunately, many people feel that it is a sign of weakness to seek treatment for depression, or are ashamed of being depressed and desire to hide their condition from their family and their friends. This is potentially dangerous thinking, however, because if clinical depression is left untreated, it usually worsens significantly.

Medical professionals determine a course of treatment for each patient individually, based on their symptoms and medical history. Generally, however, medications designed to treat the condition combined with psychotherapy or “talk” therapy have been found to be most effective in helping patients address their depression.

The first course of treatment for depression is usually medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs which act on neurotransmitters in the brain. For persons suffering from mild forms of depression, a family doctor will often prescribe this medication. For this reason, seeking the advice of your family physical is as soon as you believe you might be suffering from clinical depression is so important.