What is the depressive mood of depression like?

Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
Updated on December 04, 2024
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Patients with depression primarily exhibit symptoms of low mood. They often experience persistent sadness and pessimism. Patients might find it difficult to feel happy, appear gloomy, and are unable to experience joy, particularly in activities that they used to find interesting. In severe cases, they might feel hopeless, in despair, and have thoughts of death, leading to an overwhelming sense that each day is unbearably long. Furthermore, patients might feel that life isn't worth living and that their existence has no meaning, which can lead to thoughts or actions of suicide or self-harm. In this emotional state, their self-evaluation is also typically low; they might feel utterly worthless, viewing themselves as a burden on their family and a parasite in society. Thus, feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, despair, and self-blame are significantly more pronounced.

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Can mild depression cause dizziness?

Patients with mild depression may also experience symptoms of dizziness. These patients often come to see a doctor primarily for physical symptoms, manifesting discomforts such as dizziness, headaches, nausea, palpitations, chest tightness, heart palpitations, vomiting, sweating, and difficulty breathing, among other related symptoms. These are also symptoms of autonomic dysfunction, which are relatively common. Thus, the emotional and cognitive symptoms in these patients are often mild, while the physical symptoms are comparatively severe. Particularly, disturbances in sleep, fatigue, and diminished appetite are amongst the more prominently severe symptoms. When patients seek medical help, they often present with the aforementioned symptoms as their main complaints, and if not carefully questioned, misdiagnosis can easily occur. Therefore, for physical symptoms of depression, it is important to observe carefully as the physical manifestations are closely related to emotional changes. Attention should be given to observe and administer antidepressant therapy, which can achieve good therapeutic effects.

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Is depression considered a mental illness?

Depression is clinically classified as a mental illness, specifically a type of mood disorder. Its main clinical manifestations include low mood, slow thought processes, reduced volitional activity, fatigue, lack of interest, lack of pleasure, often accompanied by sleep disturbances, changes in weight, changes in sexual desire, and low self-esteem. Patients often feel fatigued and dissatisfied throughout the day, and their attention may decline. They may experience feelings of guilt, worthlessness, futility, and despair. It is not uncommon for patients to have thoughts or behaviors of self-harm or suicide. Thus, depression is a mental disorder that requires systematic antidepressant treatment once diagnosed. Effective treatment outcomes can often be achieved through a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and physiotherapy.

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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What department do you see for depression?

Depression can be treated clinically by visiting either a psychiatric or psychological department. The main clinical manifestation is a persistent low mood, characterized by an inability to feel joy, gloominess, and typically significant mood variations. Cognitive processes tend to slow down, resulting in sluggish thinking, slow reactions, reduced volitional activities, a passive and listless approach to life, and a lack of hope for the future. Additionally, cognitive impairments such as decreased attention, diminished abstract thinking, learning, and judgment abilities may occur. Some patients may also exhibit physical symptoms, including sleep disturbances, decreased appetite, weight loss, physical pain, and anxiety-related disorders.

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Will mild depression get better?

Mild depression can achieve good therapeutic effects. Patients with mild depression may experience low mood, slow thinking, and decreased volition, but its severity is relatively mild. These patients primarily show lack of concentration, or slightly lower self-evaluation, and abnormalities in diet and sleep. Generally, the overall mental state of the patients is still relatively good. Therefore, in clinical practice, the main treatment for patients with mild depression is psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy, to improve the patients' distorted and unreasonable cognition, ultimately leading to cognitive reconstruction and achieving good therapeutic effects. Antidepressant drugs can also be used for systematic treatment, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which have an effective cure rate of over 85%.

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Symptoms of depression

Patients with symptoms of depression often experience a persistent low mood throughout most of the day, along with a loss or decrease in interests and pleasure. They commonly experience fatigue, an increase in feelings of exhaustion, and more. Additionally, these patients may have poor concentration, low self-esteem, decreased self-confidence, a sense of worthlessness, self-blame, and a bleak outlook on life with no perceived future, including suicidal thoughts. There are also significant changes in their sleeping and eating habits. Therefore, if these symptoms persist for more than two weeks and adversely impact the patient’s work, studies, lifestyle, or social abilities, it should be considered indicative of depression. Thus, once diagnosed, systematic and standardized treatment should be administered to prevent the worsening of the condition.