How do I distinguish depression from Seasonal Affective Disorder?
470808
You can have symptoms of depression with SAD even in summer months if it is overcast.  People who live in areas of the world that only get sun for limited times during the day or year can sometimes experience the symptoms year round.  A common treatment for SAD, in addition to meds, is to give the person a light source for the home that mimics the sun's rays.  Have you ever tried this?  You also might want to get a second opinion about your diagnosis.
463375
Your mental health is linked to your physical health so a good  diet and regular exercise will help. In places with hard winters some people get seasonal affective disorder due to the lack of exposure to sunlight. Your "self-talk" is very important too so if feeling down maybe write a list of all the ways you are a great person and why others like you. Comparing yourself negatively with other people won't help. Maybe write down every day one thing you can be thankful for. If you are feeling depressed talk about it with others or seek medical advice. You are not alone and people care.
127629
I assume you mean "depression" (with an 'i'). No, a blood test cannot determine whether a person is depressed or not. A diagnosis of depression is usually made on the basis of the pattern of symptoms one presents (e.g., early morning awakenings; changes in appetite; feelings of sadness, pessimism, past failures, loss of pleasure, guilty feelings, and many more). A blood test may provide an indication of hormonal and/or neurotransmitter imbalances (e.g., estrogen in the first case, serotonin in the second case) that will affect mood.
494108
There are definite changes in the way the brain works when a person is depressed:\n\n1. Modern brain scans that can look at how 'hard' the brain is working have shown that some areas of the brain (such as at the front) are not working as well as normal.\n\n2. Depressed patients have higher than normal levels of stress hormones.\n\n3. Various chemical systems in the brain may not be working correctly including one known as the serotonin or 5-HT system.\n\nAntidepressants may help to reverse these changes. Unfortunately there is no brain scan or blood test that can be used to diagnose when a person has a depressive illness. The diagnosis can only be made from the symptoms. Generally speaking a diagnosis of depression will be made if a person has a persistently low mood that significantly influences their everyday life and has been present for two weeks or more, and there are also three or four or more other symptoms of depression. \n\nStress can lead to you to feeling 'down' and 'miserable'. What is different about a depressive illness is that these feelings last for weeks or months, rather than days. In addition to feeling low most or all of the time, many other symptoms can occur in depressive illness (though not everybody has every one). These include:\n\n-Being unable to gain pleasure from activities that normally would be pleasurable.\n-Losing interest in normal activities, hobbies and everyday life.\n-Feeling tired all of the time and having no energy.\n-Difficulty sleeping or waking early in the morning (though some feel that they can't get out of bed and 'face the world').\n-Having a poor appetite, no interest in food and losing weight (though some people overeat and put on weight - 'comfort eating').\n-Losing interest in sex.\n-Finding it difficult to concentrate and think straight.\n-Feeling restless, tense and anxious.\n-Being irritable.\n-Losing self-confidence.\n-Avoiding other people.\n-Finding it harder than usual to make decisions.\n-Feeling useless and inadequate - 'a waste of space'.\n-Feeling guilty about who you are and what you have done.\n-Feeling hopeless - that nothing will make things better.\n-Thinking about suicide - this is very common. If you feel this way, talk to somebody about it. If you think somebody else might be thinking this way, ask them about it - IT WILL NOT MAKE THEM MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT SUICIDE.\n\nWhat causes depression?\n\n-We do not fully understand the causes of depression.\n-Genes or early life experiences may make some people vulnerable.\n-Stressful life events, such as losing a job or a relationship ending, may trigger an episode of depression.\n-Depression can be triggered by some physical illnesses, drug treatments and recreational drugs.
960823
Usually, when pediatric psychologists (the people who talk to you and give you non-medical treatments) and pediatric psychiatrists (the people who can prescribe medicine for you) diagnose depression, they ask you questions about how you're feeling, how long you've been feeling this way, how intense is it, if you feel like hurting yourself or other people and other questions and follow a sort of checklist of symptoms that depressed people have. They follow a guide outlined in a handbook called the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders) that is published by the American Psychiatric Association. If you've been feeling really sad and also have physical symptoms like tiredness, achiness, too much or too little eating and/or sleeping, definitely go see a doctor and make sure he checks to see if there is nothing wrong with your body. If that's ok, ask him to refer you to a pediatric psychologist or a pediatric psychiatrist who can treat you for depression. There could be something wrong with, for example, any number of hormones or you could have some other physical thing wrong with you. Depression and illnesses that have symptoms that are similar to those in depression are fairly common amongst teenagers.  Remember your body and mind are connected and your behavior and your "state of mind" are strongly interconnected. Do the things that make you happy and change your behaviors so that you'll feel better about yourself. It's no accident that we kind of walk around all tired and slumped when we're sad and walk with our chin up and a little hop in our step when we're happy.  Walking with your chin up will help. Give yourself a treat or do something you like that makes you feel good and relaxed when you perform actions that are good for you like completing and doing well in school tasks and homeworks or exams.  For example, if you go to school for a week, without skipping and complete all your homeworks, at the end of the week treat yourself.  Do that for a few weeks, then extend it to two straight weeks, then three and so on.  Give yourself a little snack for every two - three genuine hours that you study for an exam. Tell yourself that you WILL ace the exam and when you do, give yourself a real treat like a manicure or something else that oyu like.  Also, get into activities like sports or a gym that help work up a sweat, and pick up hobbies that help relax you like musical instruments or yoga or reading. If you need to work with a professional, also get the cognitive (the thinking part) and behavioral (the doing or acting part) therapy and help. There's tons of information out there on depression, and medical sites like WebMD, the American Psychiatric Association (psych.org) the American Psychological Association (apa.org) and government websites (like the NIH or NIMH sites) are good sources. Make sure you keep yourself well informed as everyone has an opinion about these things and there are people out there that will tell you things like depression doesn't exist or you should just snap out of it and grow up, or things like that that only make things worse.  The only ones that count are you doctor's, your parents' or a trusted adults' and your own. I hope you feel better :-)
23810
Baby, if you ain't depressed, you're missing an awful good chance to be! You may have more than depression. Depression can be a symptom of another problem, anything from mental and emotional troubles to the physical. Insured or not, I strongly advise you to get a checkup at the local clinic (they usually have sliding fee, and sometimes can help for free). There is a questionairre they all have which will only take a few minutes to do, and they can refer you to a professional counselor if the meds don't help. (Alot of times it is just a chemical imbalance.) There is no shame in having a mental or emotional disease, only a shame if one doesn't get help for it!
590388
if it lasts more than 3 months you might be suffering from a light form of depression. however, it sounds normal to me. between winter and summer there is a period for each of us, that can be caracterized by your above-mentioned sympthoms. also. . .is your romantic life ok?\n\nsuggestions:\n1. don't overdo yourself with work\n2. sleep\n3. eat well. (eat many sweets in this period)\n4. talk about this state of yours with your close friends\n5. have some fun.\n\nand to asnwer your question: no, you're not going mad at all! :)\n\ntake care,\nMe:)
62265
clinical depression is a diagnosable condition that should be regarded very seriously and be treated promptly by a health professional. Being depressed on the other hand can be serious or it may be a symptom of some other disorder of mood, health or substance use. When in doubt see a doc.
558722
Indeed, it's called SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder. Most people suffer from it during the winter months, when the days are shorter and darker.
835675
When the sun hasn't been shining, go to a tanning salon and ask for the bed that isn't for the purpose of tanning but is for the purpose of sunlight.  Where I live it costs about $6.00 and is well worth the money.  In addition, you might want to get some anti-depressants for the winter to help with what seems to be seasonal affect disorder.  This is a common disorder and is easily treated.  Don't spend each winter being miserable.
223726
if you also do this & other things like closing the blinds when it snows & is dreary otherwise, you may have seasonal affective disorder---a mild depression which can be treated easily...you need to look at some websites about it
1160309
It's easy to tell when a friend or person is i depression, get for the signs:\n\n-Sad look on face\n-Sluggish\n-Once active, now lazy\n-Doesn't work as much\n-Confussion\n-Appears to have lost emotions, apathy\n-Avoids others\n-Avoids social situations\n-confusion\n-Foggy mind\n-Tired\n-Lays around\n-Doesn't enjoy activities anymore\n-Mood change, high to low (Bipolar)\n-lack of energy\n-Doesn't remember well\n-Doesn't care\n-No motivation\n-Glassy eyes\n-Bad memory\n\nHave you talked to them about this?
597231
see a doctor or talk bout it with someone u trust don't let things get u down when u r feeling more depressed than usual focus on something u love for me i focus on thunderstorms a natural calming mind clearing focus point
606950
Seasonal depression- tough.  I am a fellow sufferer.  I have treated it a couple different ways.  One thing I do is have a dawnrizer clock.  This is an alarm clock that simulates sunrise.  Minehas traveled all over the world.  Which is crazy but...  I find it really helps set my day out right.  I have also used the tanning bed and full spectrum lights.  Both help me get rid of the foggy feeling in my head.  I only tan maybe once a week or ever 10 days or so.  \n\nHormonal Imbalance is tough because it needs to be under a doctors supervision depending on which hormone is out of whack.
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If you feel depressed, that is a sign that you should consult someone.\n\n\nIf you are depressed at the moment some of the following symptoms may sound familiar: \n(taken from http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/Depression_Information/symptoms.htm )\n\nYou feel miserable and sad.\nYou feel exhausted a lot of the time with no energy .\nYou feel as if even the smallest tasks are sometimes impossible.\nYou seldom enjoy the things that you used to enjoy-you may be off sex or food or may 'comfort eat' to excess.\nYou feel very anxious sometimes. \nYou don't want to see people or are scared to be left alone. Social activity may feel hard or impossible.\nYou find it difficult to think clearly.\nYou feel like a failure and/or feel guilty a lot of the time.\nYou feel a burden to others.\nYou sometimes feel that life isn't worth living. \nYou can see no future. There is a loss of hope. You feel all you've ever done is make mistakes and that's all that you ever will do.\nYou feel irritable or angry more than usual.\nYou feel you have no confidence.\nYou spend a lot of time thinking about what has gone wrong, what will go wrong or what is wrong about yourself as a person. You may also feel guilty sometimes about being critical of others (or even thinking critically about them).\nYou feel that life is unfair.\nYou have difficulty sleeping or wake up very early in the morning and can't sleep again. You seem to dream all night long and sometimes have disturbing dreams.\nYou feel that life has/is 'passing you by.'\nYou may have physical aches and pains which appear to have no physical cause, such as back pain.\n\n\nThere is a depression quiz at this address:\nhttp://psychcentral.com/depquiz.htm
792161
Sounds like depression.\n\nDepression is a very common condition that is believed by many experts to be the number one cause of disability in the world. In the U.S.,17% of people will experience depression at some point in their lives. An estimated 19 million people in the U.S. are currently suffering from depression. Depression is more common in women then in men, with 25% of women suffering from depression severe enough to warrant treatment at least once during their lifetime. \n\nIt’s important to remember that depression is an illness that affects both the body and mind. It is not something that we can just wish away or “snap out of”, nor is it a sign of a weak character. The good news about depression is that almost everyone suffering from this condition can be helped with treatment, so it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression. \n\nAccording to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the main symptoms and signs of depression are the following:\n\n-Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood \n-Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism \n-Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness \n-Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex \n-Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down" \n-Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions \n-Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping \n-Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain \n-Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts \n-Restlessness, irritability \n-Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain \n\nIf you have been experiencing several of these symptoms to a degree that they have impaired or affected your life, talk to your doctor. He or she can help you find out whether or not you are suffering from depression and direct you to appropriate resources for treatment and recovery.\n\nTreatment of depression may include antidepressant medication, professional counseling such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, or a combination of the two. \n\nProfessional counseling may be all that you need for mild to moderate depression.\n \nIf your early symptoms are severe, your initial treatment most likely will include both antidepressants and professional counseling. \n\nHospitalization may be necessary if you show warning signs of suicide, such as thoughts or plans about harming yourself or another person, detachment from reality (psychosis), or excessive use of alcohol or drugs.
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Depression is more than just the normal, temporary feelings of sadness and hopelessness associated with difficult life events. The symptoms of depression are often subtle at first. It can be hard to recognize that symptoms may be connected and that you might have depression. Common symptoms include:\n\nDepressed mood. \nInability to enjoy activities. \nProblems concentrating. \nChanges in eating habits or appetite. \nWeight gain or weight loss. \nChanges in sleeping habits. \nDifficulty going to work or taking care of your daily responsibilities because of a lack of energy. \nFeelings of guilt and hopelessness; wondering if life is worth living (common). \nSlowed thoughts and speech. \nPreoccupation with thoughts of death or suicide. \nComplaints that have no physical cause (somatic complaints) such as headache and stomachache. \nAll of these symptoms can interfere with your quality of life. Even if you don't have major depression, if you have experienced a few of these symptoms for at least 2 weeks you may have a less severe form of depression that still requires treatment.\n\nHow is it treated?\n\nDepression is usually treated successfully with professional counseling, antidepressant medication, or a combination of the two. Often a combination of the two is most effective. People with depression usually can be treated as outpatients, but in severe cases a period of hospitalization may be necessary.\n\nIf you have mild or moderate depression, you may be diagnosed and treated by your family health professional and a therapist or psychologist. If you have severe depression or other psychological disorders or do not respond to treatment, a psychiatrist, a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems, may be helpful.\n\nLet your health professional know if you suspect that you have depression, because it is often overlooked. If you are diagnosed with depression, you and your health professional can decide on the best treatment. The earlier you are treated, the more quickly you will recover. 1