Do I have depression?

Read the following information to help you decide whether you might have depression. Depression is more than a temporary feeling of sadness or lack of energy-it is a medical condition that requires treatment. If you think you may be depressed, see your health professional for diagnosis and treatment right away. Untreated depression may get worse.

This information is provided to help you decide whether you have symptoms of depression, but it is not a substitute for a professional evaluation. Only your health professional can accurately diagnose depression.

You are diagnosed with major depression if you have at least five of the symptoms listed below for at least 2 weeks in a row, and one of the symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest. If you have fewer than five symptoms, you may still be depressed and need treatment.¹

1. Depressed mood most of the day, almost every day. You may feel sad or empty, or others might have noticed that you appear sad or tearful.
2. A significant loss of pleasure in either all or almost all of your daily activities
3. A significant weight gain or weight loss or a decrease or increase in your appetite
4. Difficulty either falling or staying asleep or sleeping too much
5. Noticeable changes in how you walk and talk-you may appear restless or move very slowly
6. Extreme fatigue or loss of energy
7. Feeling worthless or having inappropriate guilt
8. Difficulty thinking or concentrating or having problems remembering
9. Thinking a lot about death or suicide

If you think you may have depression, take a short quiz to evaluate your symptoms:

Are You Depressed?

There are several types of depression that may have different symptoms and patterns. These include:

• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). People who have seasonal affective disorder are depressed only at a certain time each year, usually in the fall and winter months.
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Women who have regular and severe emotional and physical premenstrual symptoms that interfere with daily life may have PMDD. This is similar to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) but has symptoms that are more severe.
• Dysthymic disorder (chronic mild depression) occurs when a person has only 2 to 4 symptoms of depression for a period of at least 2 years.
• Double depression. This occurs when a person with dysthymia also has an episode of major depression.
• Adjustment disorder with depression. Sometimes a stressful situation can cause temporary symptoms of depression.

Depression impairs your ability to function in your daily life. However, depression is not diagnosed if your symptoms are due solely to substance abuse or another medical condition, such as hypothyroidism.

If you think you have depression after reviewing this list, print the list and circle those symptoms that apply to you, and then take the list to your health professional.

If you have just lost someone you care about, you may have symptoms similar to those of depression. Feelings of sadness, sorrow, and grief are normal responses to a difficult human experience. Most people start to feel better over several months. However, if you begin to experience severe feelings of depression, or if your feelings of sadness don't improve with time, or if you have suicidal thoughts, you may need treatment.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that all adults be screened for depression.²

For more information, see the topic Depression.

Citations

1. American Psychiatric Association (2000). Depressive disorders. In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., text rev., pp. 349–381. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

2. Pignone MP, et al. (2002). Screening for depression in adults: A summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine, 136(10): 765–776.