Is It Really Clinical Depression?
We all have reasons to feel sad from time to time. Grief is a natural part of life and necessary for healing. Deaths in the family, accidents ad illness, financial losses – all can be a cause for for depression, and if these symptoms go on for a long period of time, the diagnosis is clinical depression.
However, an article on CBS5 talks about new criteria for judging clinical depression:
Now, a new study suggests up to 25 percent of those patients are not necessarily suffering from depression. Instead, they are just reacting normally to a painful loss in their life.
After analyzing 8,000 patients, researchers found extended periods of intense grief may be natural and common in people who have experienced such a loss.
Medicine Net.com lists these symptoms of depression:
- sadness
- Loss of enjoyment from things that were once pleasurable
- Loss of energy
- Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty making decisions
(And seven more)