Clinical Depression

“Clinical depression” is the term used by doctors to talk about the most severe type of depression. As you know this illness can present with different strength, it can range from subtle symptoms to the ones that need clinical and immediate attention.

Clinical depression is an illness that affects all kind of people. It makes no distinction of age, race, or gender. Nowadays it is estimated that around 20% of women and 7% of men suffer from clinical depression, and only small fraction of them are doing something about it.

Symptoms of Clinical Depression

Symptoms of clinical depression include:

• Persistent sadness and hopelessness.

• Excessive sleep / Lack of sleep.

• Thoughts of death and suicide.

• Lack of concentration.

• Loss of interest in usual activities.

• Weight changes.

• Feeling tired all the time.

• Drug and alcohol abuse.

These symptoms present in a severe way.

Treatment of Clinical Depression

The specific treatment will vary according to the severity, the time you have the depression present and the persistence of the mentioned symptoms.

Clinical depression is commonly treated using both therapy sessions and antidepressant medication. These medications help relieving the symptoms of clinical depression and therapy is more of a long term treatment aimed at teaching you how to cope with the feelings depression brings.

In extreme cases of clinical depression, there's a treatment used called “electro convulsive therapy”. This is a treatment that involves passing electric currency through the brain inducing controlled seizures. Keep in mind that doctors don't know how this treatment is effective. Yet it can be the only option for people who can't tolerate antidepressants