Mild Depression
Even a mild depression can impact upon a person’s daily life, where affected individuals will lose interest in the things they are most interested in doing. In mild depressive disorder some of the symptoms found in the more severe depressive disorders will be found, and, as the name mild depression implies, these symptoms will not be as severe. On the other hand, a mild depression, will manifest in some symptoms unique to the mild depressive disorder. In years gone by, the symptoms were considered neurotic in nature and they included anxiety, phobia, obsessive and dissociative symptoms. The DSM–IV and the ICD-10 will cover the list of symptoms and also point to the fact the depression aspect is not as pronounced.
How would you know if you are experiencing a depression.
Symptoms of depression include: feeling worthless, hopeless or helpless. You may avoid social contact or are afraid to be alone. You may want to avoid social activity, feel guilty, sad, and anxious, or exhibit a numbing or empty mood. You may feel exhausted and tired all the time. You spend so much time thinking about what will go wrong, could go wrong, or fail in some way. Your view on life is very pessimistic and you think of all the negatives; rarely focusing on the positives in life. Sometimes even the smallest chores or tasks seem insurmountable. You may be overly critical of others or feel others are being overly critical of you. You feel like you are imposing on others and that you are a burden to them. You no longer like to do the things you once did, taking no pleasure or interest in them anymore. You have difficulty sleeping, or you may sleep too much. You lack confidence and are afraid to try new things. You may feel that life is just not worth the living, or that there is no joy in life, only a series of constant struggles. You are always tired and restless and you are experiencing aches and pains which sometimes makes you afraid that you will come down with a serious illness. You also may have lost or gained weight. You may have reduced concentration and ideas about harming yourself. For mild depression, you would need to have at least 4 of these symptoms according to the ICS-10.
The symptoms listed above are symptoms that could affect mild depression, moderate depression, and major depression. However, mild depression sufferers will not have very severe depression symptoms. For example, suicide attempts are not associated with mild depression. Most sufferers go through their daily activities and just appear to be a little down in spirits and not as sharp in their thinking processes or not interested in social situations. They may curtail non-essential activities, but will continue with what needs to be done, like going to work or doing housework and taking care of the kids. They may not do these activities as well as they did before the depression episode, or they will feel bad because they are not doing as much as they think they should because they are too tired.
In terms of depression therapy, exercise and diet can relieve mild depression symptoms as well as relaxation, and healthy sleep habits. Sometimes a change of venue can shake someone out of the blues and certain health remedies such as St. John’s Wart may also help. Fighting depression can be relatively easy when caught early enough. If you feel you are experiencing signs and symptoms of depression talk to your doctor. Everyone is entitled to a happy healthy life.
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