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- What is depression?
- Symptoms of depression
- Causes of depression
- Prevention of depression
- Risk factors for depression
- Complications of depression
- When to see a doctor about depression
- Diagnosis of depression
- Conventional treatment of depression
- Alternative/complementary treatment of depression
- Living with depression
- Caring for someone with depression
Initial diagnosis of depression is conducted through the following tests:
- Medical history - you doctor will ask a series of questions about the history of the symptoms, including the severity, duration of symptoms, as well as the exact date they started and if anything unusual or stressful occurred prior to the onset of the symptoms
- Physical examination - your doctor will perform a physical examination of your eyes, ears, lungs and heart, to check your overall health
Since depression could be due to a number of other illness (or can be exacerbated by any number of other illnesses), your doctor may do the following tests to rule them out:
- Blood test - a blood test is usually requested to rule out the following conditions:
- Low blood sugar levels - the condition hypoglycaemia can cause depression-like symptoms, due to the lowered blood glucose levels
- Low iron levels - if there are lowered blood levels of iron or haemoglobin, this can also present with depression-like symptoms
- Thyroid disorder - in particular, hypothyroidism, which may cause depression as one of the symptoms
- CT scan - a CT scan can be requested if your doctor suspects an underlying problem with the brain, in particular to rule out brain tumour as the cause of the depression symptoms, especially if other symptoms point to this condition
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If the initial diagnosis and blood test rule out any other disorders, then the following further tests may also be requested, to properly diagnose and confirm depression:
- Psychological evaluation - your doctor may request you undergo psychological evaluation of your symptoms to determine (a) the type of depressive illness you are experiencing, (b) the treatment options recommended and (c) the possible duration of symptoms
The doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist will use certain diagnostic criteria to diagnose depression in the psychological evaluation. These criteria include the following symptoms:
- Agitation or restlessness
- Difficulty concentrating, making decisions or thinking properly
- Fatigue or lacking in energy
- Feeling worthless or guilty, for no apparent reason
- Loss of interest or pleasure in most activities
- Symptoms that cause distress or impair ability to function in daily life
- Symptoms that have been present for most days in a period of 2-3 weeks
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Weight gain or weight loss that was unintentional
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< 7: when to see a doctor 9: conventional treatment > Last reviewed: 24 January 2009 || Last updated: 21 March 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
