We have not yet discovered biochemical, neurophysiological or any other indicators that would allow a clear and indisputable way to recognize and classify depression. We must realize that the concept of depression is based on a broad description of depressive disorders; from biologically conditioned to disrupted personality and mechanisms of depression development. Therefore, to harmonize a multitude of problems related to the classification of this disease and that psychiatrists from different countries can communicate, and finally, for the practice of recommending specific pharmacological treatments, an international classification, called ICD-10, has been introduced.
AND/Introduction - a list of difficulties in distinguishing types of depression
Current classifications of depression, due to the above-mentioned conditions, are constantly imperfect and constantly improved.
That is why they still raise a lot of controversy. This applies to subdivisions into individual subtypes of depression, where intensification of certain symptoms, after exceeding a certain intensity, causes the depression to be included in another diagnostic group.
The variety of the course of depression is troublesome.
There are also many variants of this disease distinguished on the basis of the severity of the course, duration, circumstances of revealing, the rate of resolution, the frequency of recurrence or the speed of response to the treatment. In addition, sometimes the type (or subgroup) of depression distinguishes itself from the fact of appearing in certain life situations. There were many excellent psychiatrists in the history of this specialty, who throughout their long and industrious lives mainly "multiplied beings" of diseases, including depression (Leonhard).
Hence a mosaic of criteria in the classification of depression. Diversification of diagnoses in recent years is attempts to unify the leading symptoms and logically separate the additional symptoms into separate subgroups. However, we must realize that traditional and modern, descriptive as well as age-related and patient-related diagnoses usually operate side by side.
B / International classification of depression - called ICD-10 for short
(The tenth means here that this is another modification of the adopted classification!)
depressive episode; mild, moderate or heavy
bipolar disorder, formerly a manic-depressive disorder
recurrent depressive disorder
dysthymia
other, less specific mood disorders
C / Symptoms used to recognize depression
basic symptoms
- lowered mood - anhedonia, meaning lack of other feelings as only depression
additional symptoms
- sleep disorders - weight loss or fatigue - distraction - lack of self-esteem - slowdown or anxiety - unjustified guilt usually - suicidal thoughts Complementary criteria:
- worse functioning in everyday life
- lasting for at least two weeks, with their daily occurrence
The general principle of recognizing depression
In order to be able to recognize depression in a certain way, at least two or three of the basic symptoms and four to eight of the additional ones should be stated, with the condition that they last two weeks.
A message from the author for the reader
Depression is an emotional state characterized by sadness, less activity and the inability to enjoy life. It is one of the most common psychological problems. The whole of the study presented on our website presents typical symptoms of depression as well as its various variants. In the following chapters, we also describe how to deal with this disease and how to deal with a person suffering from depression.The characteristics of depression are enriched by authentic statements of patients, descriptions of their ailments and difficulties in overcoming the disease. The author has been conducting extensive private practice for years, in which depressive patients make up the majority of applicants.
Dr. Janusz Krzyżowski, MD, psychiatrist
