Major Depressive Episode Criteria

One thing I cannot understand is why someone suffering from depression, or any other mental illness for that matter, should be in denial about it. Since this article's about depression, we'll allude to that throughout. Depression is a most miserable condition, so why a person would wish to deny the fact that he or she has the illness, only to go on suffering, completely defeats me.

The other fact that I always think suspect is the statistic that women are twice as likely to suffer depression than men. Are they? I know we've covered this in previous articles, but women seem a great deal more sensible than men in that instead of sitting there, stupidly suffering in silence, they do something about it.

I realize fully that it's all too easy to criticize the statisticians. All they can do, in effect, is a head count of those who seek treatment. Nevertheless, I feel that the real numbers, if known, would be very considerably different.

A Major Depressive Episode can last from a few hours to a few years. Whatever the psychiatrists might say, it's severe depression by any other name. There are a number of criteria to be considered when diagnosing the condition, but these taken by themselves can vary enormously.

The way you sleep or don't sleep, for instance, can be poles apart. Somnipathy, the fancy name for sleep disorder, may take the form of someone sleeping to excess, or not sleeping at all. I was in the latter category, especially before I received treatment for a condition I didn't understand, as thoughts of the certainty that I was going to have to face another day were literally almost more than I could bear.

I would lie awake and watch the red numbers on my digital clock click away the minutes up to the time I had to make the monumental effort of climbing out of bed. Other people will lapse into a deep sleep almost immediately and not awaken for many hours. Both conditions are classic symptoms of escapism. Someone like me, doing his best to reverse time by gazing intently at the clock, to the other person sleeping his or her life away.

Eating habits and effects are another criteria. Some people gain weight, while not eating any more than usual. Others, and I was one, lose weight quite alarmingly because they find it very difficult to eat. Really, though, the amount you eat is of no consequence. You either gain or lose weight.

Concentration and fatigue go hand in hand. It isn't so much that you can't concentrate. You just feel too tired to make the effort. Far easier just to let what thoughts you might have roam around in your head without any attempt at controlling them. When, or if, it becomes a deep depression, any ideas about going out with friends, or for a meal with your spouse, are anathema. You simply want to be left alone, because just the thoughts of making the effort to actually do something invite total confusion in your mind.

Here's another pretty word for you; Anhedonia. This is the inability to enjoy the hobbies and pastimes that once gave you so much pleasure. They hold no further interest for you. A sort of 'what's the point' attitude sets in and you remain content to stare into the fire, or out of the window, letting one day merge into another, aware perhaps of others living bright lives, full of promise, but you? After all, what's the point? Because of this, your consideration of your own worth is at zero.

You know perfectly well that you're not contributing to anyone or anything. And so this illness, this insidious creeping thing, pulls you down even lower. You're worthless, you think, so why not end it all? You've stopped thinking of others, of those who love you. Suicide becomes more and more attractive, and you consider this more strongly every day without a thought about how others will suffer because of it.

This is your nadir and it isn't your fault - unless by this time you've still decided against acquiring help. If this is the case, then your action, or lack of it, is unconscionable.

Mike Bond, discussing a condition he knows only too well. Depression. You'll find his story on his Website, even down to his attempted suicide. If your feelings of depression, or 'the blues' extend for longer than two weeks, then good, professional help must be sought. As Bond so correctly states, you won't beat this horrible illness on your own. Quite apart from any other consideration, you have neither the strength nor the will. Have a good look at Bond's Website, though. He's been through it. He writes from first hand experience. If you're suffering from mental illness too, then by reading the articles on his Site, you'll realize you're not alone. He'd like to thank Wikipedia for some of the terms in this article.

[http://www.panattack.com]

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