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When do the signs and symptoms of depression become a clinical condition that needs medication treatment and/or therapy? For the signs and symptoms of depression to have clinical significance two important criteria must both be true and 5 out of 9 signs and symptoms of depression must be present.

At least two weeks experiencing the signs and symptoms of depression AND the depression symptoms become disruptive to major areas of an individual’s life, i.e., depression symptoms negatively and noticeably impacting job performance, relationships, or school.

Specifically, Major Depressive Disorder, is usually defined as a combination of any five of the following signs and symptoms of depression that persist for more than 2 weeks.

Category 1 is the group of symptoms that have an explicit or obvious physical nature. Translation: a man or a woman feels it in his or her body. The five physical signs and symptoms of depression are (1) Feeling slow, i.e., slowing of one’s thoughts and actions (e.g., much more difficulty getting started on something than usual) OR agitation (irritable attitude and physical tension); (2) Fatigue or loss of energy every day; (3) Diminished ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness, nearly every day; (4) Sleep problems nearly every day (excessive sleeping or insomnia); (5) Significant change in weight not due to dieting (weight gain or loss of more than 5% of body weight in a month).

The second set of signs and symptoms of depression have more to do with a person’s subjective experience. They are: (6) Feelings of worthlessness or excessive (or inappropriate) guilt nearly every day; (7) Sad mood most of the day, nearly every day; (8) Noticeable loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities most of every day.

The next symptom is in a class of it’s own. If a man or a woman is having thoughts about death that keep returning, they are most likely clinically depressed. Of all the signs and symptoms of depression, this one is almost certainly an indicator of clinical depression, whether or not the person is aware of any other signs and symptoms of depression.

Thinking about death (morbid thinking means: recurrent thoughts or images of death (not just fear of dying), recurring thoughts about suicide, frequently imagining one’s own funeral, or a suicidal attempt, or having made plans, or a suicidal gesture (deliberate carelessness in dangerous situations).

To get the story on the signs and symptoms of depression, follow the posts at HealthandViews.com.