What are the symptoms of depression?

People suffering from major depression will experience 5 or more of the following symptoms:

• Depressed mood: Felt for most of the day, nearly every day. The person may feel sad, empty or hopeless. Others around them may notice their mood.
• Loss of interest or pleasure: An inability to experience pleasure and a lack of interest in previous hobbies, social activities, sex, and other experiences which would normally be pleasurable for them.
• Change in appetite or weight: Significant weight loss or gain. Decreased or increased appetite nearly every day.
• Sleep changes: Either insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.
• Restlessness: Feelings of restlessness, agitation or a feeling of being “slowed down”.
• Fatigue: An almost constant fatigue or loss of energy.
• Lack of self worth: Feelings of worthlessness or excessive, inappropriate guilt nearly every day.
• Concentration problems: Indecisiveness, memory problems, difficulty concentrating or focusing.
• Suicidal thoughts.

If you find that you are experiencing some of the above symptoms, but fewer than 5 and not as frequent, you may be suffering from a milder form of depression.