clinical depression (redirected from Depressive illness)

clinical depression

n.

See depression.

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clinical depression

Psychiatry Persistent sadness or loss of interest in activities for ≥ 2 wks in absence of external precipitants DiffDx Grief, bereavement Clinical Changed eating habits, insomnia, early morning wakening, ↓ interest in normal activities, depressed mood, fatigue, suicidal ideation. Cf Bereavement.

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Patient discussion about Depressive illness.

Q. How long does it take to get rid of depression after taking medication? my husband in major depression from the past one month . Now he is hospitalized and taking medication every day the last two weeks. Even now he seems to be depressed and he tried for suicide twice he always thought of suicide and he doesn’t want to return to work .is it possible to recover from depression after one month & to go to job again . i am really worried about his suicidal ideation. please help me .

A. Probably no two people are exactly alike. When I was first diagnosed many years ago, and started taking Prozac at the minimum dose, my doctor told me it would take about 4 weeks for the medication to build up in my body. But there were noticeabe effects within a few weeks. It was kind of weird for me at first. The medicine made it so I was able to be more expressive and less fearful of what others who had previously regularly "pushed my button". They were not able to do anymore. My wife thought the medicine was making me "crazy" and wanted me to stop taking it. But my doctor explained that it really was not that way and that I was finally after so many years beginning to express myself and not holding back and keeping it all in. I trusted my doctor and kept on the medication and it did work.
There probably will not be an instant transformation. It may very well take years to get better. I probably be on my current medicine, Effexor, for the rest of my life. But it

Q. What damage does depression do to the brain and how can you treat it? How does it affect your chemical balance, your brain? Is it critical or will be critical later in life? I just read on Yahoo News that Clinical stress could increase risk of Alzheimer's later in life. Does age matter like during teen years? I had depression and begun running. I noticed that I have a hard time focusing and absorbing information. I forgot a lot of things. All my brain seems to focus on is emotions. Can I change that? The running has made me feel a lot better afterwards

A. What you describe is considered as an attention disorder. But it’s very understandable while being on a depression episode. If it’s not on a depression episode- then it was strange… I suffer from depression for the last 12 years and I’m not sure I saw a real change in my cognitive abilities. But I’m not so sure…good idea about the running! it releases Endorphins which elevate mood.

Q. What's the difference between the depressions of the bipolar disorder and clinical depression? How can I differentiate between the two? Thanks

A. When it persists past several major bouts, it is then called "chronic" and yes, from one who has it, it can go on for many years. You keep hoping that it won't come back but it hits you and you never seem to know why. After many good days, you think its gone and life will be good again and you get hope for getting off the medicine, and then out of no where, whamm, bamm and it knocks you down again, sometimes really down there with your face in the dirt. I just keep taking my medicine, pray alot, and stay away from stressful things.