Can you self diagnose depression?

[bonj2]

Perhaps a more pertinent question: if you know you've got depression, either by self-diagnosis or doctor-diagnosis, is it possible to then self-diagnose whether it's the clinical or non-clinical variety?

 

[buggi]

i think non clinical is when it's depression because you've reacted to a bad situation and can't pull yourself out (i.e. bereavement)

i think clinical is when there is no reason for it (i.e there's nothing wrong in your life and you don't know why you are depressed) and it's just a chemical imbalance in the brain...

 

[ACS]

Taking anti-depressants from the doctors if you're depressed is just as non-sensical as taking antibiotics if you've got a cold.

Unless of course you need the medication to redress a chemical imbalance, especially if that imbalance causes so much distress that the sufferer feels that they have only one option left to escape.

Of course we could always use the traditional method of treatment of ignoring that that conditions exist because you do not suffer or recommend that all is required is a good, swift kick up the backside, sort yourslef out man, stiff upper lips, don't show your emotions thats girly.

 

[bonj2]

Why is it not possible I wonder to do a physical test for a chemical imbalance in the brain? e.g., i wonder what it's an imbalance of?

 

[Plax]

My thoughts/questions are

a) can being really seriously fed up about 1 (or 2) things can lead you down the path to a more serious condition if you dont do something about it

is there a point of no return

c) will changing this one thing actually sort the problem out or can it be a classic case of 'the grass is greener' syndrome.

Think I'll get 'my friend' to sort out he thing thats bothering him first

I've had instances of hating my job so much that my then partner had to physically drag me out of bed every weekday morning. I didn't realise it at the time but it had really started to affect my mood etc. It got to the point where I decided I had to do something about it. With the encouragemet and support of my then partner I got another job and the effects were almost instantaneous.

So I'd say yes to a) - being seriously fed up with a situation can have a detrimental effect on your mental well being if you let it get to you enough. I'm not sure about though. Depends how depressed you are.

With regards to c), I've never been as low as I have in that example since. However I have had some "black" moods that have been bad enough to start affecting my current job. Luckily my work colleagues picked up on it before I got too bad and helped me through it (I'm usually always happy and chatty etc. I apparently go very quiet and withdrawn when I'm on a downer). I can usually now start to notice the signs and vent off (I have a really bad habit of just bottling things up so even the most minor of things can become a big deal).
There was nearly a 4 year gap between my two "episodes". I don't think I've ever been "depressed" in the clinical sense of the term, but certainly I've had stressors that have triggered very low moods.

 

[yello]

There is a school of thought that all depression is really bi-polar

I could go for that. I appreciate that there'll be differences in the variations of highs and lows, and therefore the swings in-between, but I think it's entirely plausible that those the suffer lows might also experience highs of equal intensity - if only due to change of perspective.

I recall Stephen Fry remarking that he wouldn't want to 'cured' of his bi-polar depressions because he didn't want to loose the intense highs that (eventually) followed.

Perhaps an active & creative mind is prone to go anywhere.

 

[craigwend]

The classifications of mood disorders are many and varied, the terms, clinical, endogenous, exogenous (which can be equally as bad for the individual and as affecting and long lasting) are descriptive and not actual medical classifications, depression may also be accompanied by an anxiety disorder or as pointed out psychotic illness (e.g., bi-polar.
Here’s the actual coding our doctors use (and for general health)
http://www.who.int/classifications/apps/icd/icd10online/
To answer Bonj's questions about a 'simple' test for depression, as already noted it's very expensive and probably inaccurate at this time in our knowledge, we would routinely need to know base levels (which themselves can fluctuate daily) - crucially there is the subtle but high effect of other factors for example - social (relationships, finance, housing)
Another factor which determines our response to depression is the (bio-psychosocial) biological, psychological (which entails thoughts, emotions, and behaviours), and social factors (abbreviated "BPS") all play a significant role in human functioning in the context of disease or illness.
In a philosophical sense, the bio psychosocial model states that the workings of the body can affect the mind, and the workings of the mind can affect the body. This means both a direct interaction between mind and body as well as indirect effects through intermediate factors.
The bio psychosocial model presumes that it is important to handle the three together as a growing body of empirical literature suggests that patient perceptions of health and threat of disease, as well as barriers in a patient's social or cultural environment, appear to influence the likelihood that a patient will engage in health-promoting or treatment behaviours, such as medication taking, proper diet, and engaging in physical activity.

 

[trio25]

Course it's possible to self-diagnose depression. It's also possible to self-mis-diagnose depression.
I can't imagine a situation where someone thinks of themselves as un-depressed, but someone else thinks they are. In other words I think the subject is always more likely to think of themselves as depressed than anyone else is (without implying that they're necessarily wrong).

I think that people can be depressed without thinking they are depressed. Often it is friends or family who notice something is wrong and suggest seeing a Dr. I know that in my case I wasn't aware I just didn't feel anything.

 

[terry huckle]

I used to have a medical checkout every year for the job. I walked in one day and instantly the doc started down a check list of questions.....he didn`t do the rest of the stuff (ecg, blood pressure etc); varied (i.e cancelled my certificate) and told me to see my GP. 18 months later I got my ticket back. Process included anti depressants and therapy. Despite having had an earlier bout, I didn`t see it at all. I`ve been "looking over my shoulder" ever since, evaluating my thoughts regularly for realism...it`s called Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

I do think it`s possible to self diagnose, but just as likely to pretend/deny it`s not a problem.

 

[bonj2]

It's generally accepted to be an imbalance of serotonin and noreadrenaline or norepinephrine.

There are specific tests, but they are so complicated and costly that they are just not practical to do in practice. Trust me, you know when you are faced with someone profoundly depressed.

What about people who have used up all their serotonin? Like me?

 

[yoyo]

I have just been diagnosed as severely depressed. No one is surprised apart from me. The reason is that our boss at work is a bully - I reckon at least three other colleagues would yield the same diagnosis. Now that I've been told, I realize that I have been up and down for the best part of the last four years.

 

[buggi]

I have just been diagnosed as severely depressed. No one is surprised apart from me. The reason is that our boss at work is a bully - I reckon at least three other colleagues would yield the same diagnosis. Now that I've been told, I realize that I have been up and down for the best part of the last four years.

no pun intended eh? yoyo

 

[Twenty Inch]

Thought for the day

"In the 60s, the world was normal and people took acid to make it wierd. Now, the world is wierd and people take Prozac to make it look normal".