To describe depression to a GP, focus on how symptoms affect you daily, mentioning persistent sadness/hopelessness, loss of interest, fatigue, sleep/appetite changes, concentration issues, irritability, and any physical pains, while being open and specific about the duration and impact on your life to help them diagnose and treat it effectively. Start by saying you haven't felt like yourself and may be depressed, then describe your specific emotional (sad, empty, irritable), physical (tired, headaches, sleep/appetite changes), and cognitive (concentration, decision-making) symptoms.
Try to be as open and honest as you can be with your answers. Describing your symptoms and how they're affecting you will help the GP determine whether you have depression and how severe it is. Any discussion you have with a GP will be confidential.
During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include: Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness. Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters. Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports.
The psychological symptoms of depression include: continuous low mood or sadness. feeling hopeless and helpless. having low self-esteem.
Depression is a constant feeling of sadness and loss of interest, which stops you doing your normal activities. Different types of depression exist, with symptoms ranging from relatively minor to severe. Generally, depression does not result from a single event, but from a mix of events and factors.
Depression can also involve other changes in mood or behavior that include:
Major Depressive Episode:
- 5 or more depressive symptoms for ≥ 2 weeks. - Must have either depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure. - Symptoms must cause significant distress or impairment. - No manic or hypomanic behavior.
Depression can be treated with talk therapy, medicines (called antidepressants), or both. Your doctor may refer you to a mental health professional for talk therapy or medicine. If you start taking medicine and it's not working well enough, your doctor may recommend a different type of antidepressant.
Clinical depression, also known as major depressive disorder (MDD), is a mental health condition that causes a persistently low or depressed mood and a loss of interest in activities that once brought joy. Clinical depression can also affect how you sleep, your appetite and your ability to think clearly.
If you experience milder depression, you might have low mood but still be able to carry on with your daily life. But things may feel harder and less worthwhile. If you have more severe depression, you might find day-to-day life much more difficult. You may also experience suicidal feelings.
There's no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers. For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause. Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.
The predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, and protective factors framework, referred to as the “4Ps,” is used in medicine for organizing contributing factors in a clinical case and to communicate illness and risks with patients (22) (see Table 1).
Depression shows up as persistent sadness, loss of interest (anhedonia), fatigue, sleep changes, appetite/weight shifts, concentration problems, irritability, feelings of worthlessness/guilt, slowed movement, and sometimes suicidal thoughts, impacting daily life significantly. Key signs include feeling hopeless, losing pleasure in activities, energy loss, and physical complaints like headaches, alongside major mood and thinking changes, requiring professional help if prolonged and severe.
Start with what's changed Most doctors will begin by asking, “So what brings you in today?” A useful way to answer is to focus on what's different from normal. Instead of listing every symptom, try describing what's changed in your body or day-to-day life.
Stressful life events: Difficult experiences, such as the death of a loved one, trauma, divorce, isolation and lack of support, can trigger depression. Medical conditions: Chronic pain and chronic conditions like diabetes can lead to depression. Medication: Some medications can cause depression as a side effect.
A GP may recommend that you take a course of antidepressants plus talking therapy, particularly if your depression is quite severe. A combination of an antidepressant and CBT usually works better than having just one of these treatments.
Current evidence suggests that depression is linked to traits such as neuroticism/negative emotionality, extraversion/positive emotionality, and conscientiousness. Moreover, personality characteristics appear to contribute to the onset and course of depression through a variety of pathways.
It is diagnosed when an individual has a persistently low or depressed mood, anhedonia or decreased interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, psychomotor retardation or agitation, sleep disturbances, or suicidal thoughts.
Situational depression often improves after enough time passes after the stressful event. You may notice your mood improve and things start to look up. Clinical depression, on the other hand, may get in the way of your life for a long time. It may disrupt your sleep, eating habits, lifestyle, and work.
Five common symptoms of depression include a persistent sad/empty mood, loss of interest or pleasure (anhedonia), significant fatigue or low energy, changes in sleep (insomnia or sleeping too much), and difficulty concentrating or making decisions, often accompanied by feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and sometimes suicidal thoughts. These symptoms, lasting most of the day, nearly every day for at least two weeks, significantly impact daily functioning.
You can only be given medication after an initial 3-month period in either of the following situations: You consent to taking the medication. A SOAD confirms that you lack capacity. You haven't given consent, but a SOAD confirms that this treatment is appropriate to be given.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prescribed type of antidepressant. They work by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. They generally have fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants. Common SSRIs include fluoxetine, citalopram, sertraline, paroxetine, and escitalopram.
An acute change in mood that persists for weeks or is associated with thoughts of self-harm should not be ignored. In some cases, it may constitute an emergency. Depressed mood, whether from a major depressive episode, or in the context of another problem, can become an emergency when there are thoughts of suicide.
Types of major depression include melancholia, psychotic and antenatal or postnatal. You may be diagnosed with mild, moderate or severe depression. Your mental health professional may diagnose you with depression if these symptoms: happen most days.
Severe depression is often characterized by symptoms of hopelessness, increased irritability, loss of pleasure, trouble concentrating or sleeping, or thoughts of death or suicide. 1 Technically, severe depression isn't a formal mental health diagnosis. Instead, it refers to more debilitating depression.