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Essay on Understanding Clinical Depression

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Everybody's mood varies according to events in the world around them. People are happy when they achieve something or saddened when they fail a test or lose something. When they are sad, some people say they are 'depressed', but the clinical depressions that are seen by doctors differ from the low mood brought on by everyday setbacks. Psychiatrists see a range of more severe mood disturbances and so find it easier to distinguish these from the normal variations of mood seen in the community. General practitioners (GP's) need to be sensitive enough to distinguish emotional reactions to setbacks in life from anxiety syndromes, somatisation and clinical depressions. The general idea is that anxiety disorders, depressive episodes, …show more content…

People with mild depressive episodes find it difficult to continue with their work and social lives, but usually continue to function, although less than normal. Moderate depressive episodes have a wider range of symptoms, which are present usually to a greater degree. Sufferers find it very difficult to function normally at work or home.

Severe depressive episodes typically may also include features such as:

·Great distress and agitation,
·Slowed thought and movement (psychomotor retardation),
·Ideas of guilt,
·Suicidal fantasies or plans which may be acted upon,
·Pronounced somatic symptoms,
·Psychotic symptoms.

People with severe depressive episodes find it impossible to continue with their work, domestic and social lives, and usually cease to function in these areas.
Depression is often accompanied by slowing of thought processes and biological features of everyday life which differ from a normal sense of sadness. Crying is a frequent symptom, although some individuals are reluctant to admit this, and others feel so depressed it that is as if they have 'gone beyond crying'.
Suicidal ideas occur in most depressed people, and asking about these is a crucial aspect of their assessment. Depressed patients often find it a relief to talk about these ideas with their doctor. Asking about suicidal ideas is a sequential process,

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