Depression is a mood disorder, characterized as depressive disorder. Depression is not a passing blue mood, which almost everyone experiences from time to time, but a complex mind/body illness that interferes with everyday functioning.
It is commonly marked by negative outlook toward life, sleep problems and changes in energy levels and appetite. It alters the structure and function of nerve cells so that it disrupts the way the brain processes information and interprets experience. Despite feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, depression is a treatable condition.
Symptoms of depression include:
- Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood most of the day, most days
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
- Persistent loss of energy or fatigue
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- Insomnia, early morning awakening, or oversleeping (hypersomnia)
- Significant change in appetite resulting in unintended weight loss or weight gain
- Observable psychomotor agitation or restlessness, or psychomotor slowing
- Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism; recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
Both cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and interpersonal therapy (IPT) have been widely tested and shown to be effective in treating depression. By teaching new ways of thinking and behaving, CBT gives people skills to disarm negative styles of thinking and behaving. IPT helps people understand and work through troubled personal relationships that may cause or exacerbate their depression.