Symptoms Of Depression: When To Get Help

Sadness, loneliness, and occasional depression are normal parts of life that can be experienced by anyone at some point in their lives. Feeling sad or depressed can occur as a result of a break-up, work stress, financial problems, general struggles of life and is a typical reaction to grief and loss. These times and feelings come and go, and typically there is a source or reason for the depression that we can identify.

It is when a low mood and certain accompanying symptoms become the norm and last for more than two weeks, that it may be indicative of clinical depression.

At this point, it is time to seek help from a therapist. Your therapist is a great place to start, and he or she can screen you for depression or refer you to a psychiatrist so that you can get the help you need.

If left untreated, symptoms of depression may get worse and can last for several months or even several years causing major suffering, a reduced quality of life and may lead to suicide. Not getting the proper treatment can be life threatening. More than 10% of people who have depressive symptoms commit suicide.

Recognizing the symptoms of depression is usually the biggest problem when making the diagnosis of depression and treating it.