If you are suffering from the following clinical depression symptoms -

- Depressed mood, or

- Loss of interest or pleasure.

Are you clinically depressed?

Either of these symptoms must also team up with four other clinical depression symptoms, which include:

- Constant sadness or fear, or inability to feel emotion.

- Loss of interest in enjoyable activities.

- Changing appetite and weight gain or weight loss.

- Disturbed sleep patterns, can't sleep or sleeping all the time

- Changes in activity levels, restless or moving significantly slower than normal.

- Fatigue, both mental and physical.

- Feelings of guilt, helplessness, anxiety, and/or fear.

- Lowered self-esteem.

- Decreased ability to concentrate or make decisions.

- Thinking about death or suicide.

Depression alters the way you think and react to situations to the point where you may become so pessimistic that you can do little or nothing about your condition. Because of this terribly negative outlook, it is extremely important that you seek professional help if you suffer from any clinical depression symptoms.

Untreated clinical depression symptoms can get worse. You may be temporarily stable or in remission but the depression comes back with a vengeance. If left untreated it may get better on its own within six months to two years, but there are times depression becomes chronic and lasts for many years or indefinitely. In many cases (but not all) treatment can shorten the period of distress to a matter of weeks.

While depressed, you may suffer socially (e.g. the break up of relationships), occupationally (e.g. loss of a job), financially and physically. Treatment of clinical depression symptoms can significantly reduce this damage, including reducing the risk of suicide. For all of these reasons, your treatment of clinical depression symptoms is necessary and could save your life.

There is hope! You are worth it!

Merri Ellen