What is depression?

There are a number of definitions for depression, but those of us who have experienced this state need no definition. For the rest, the term depression is used most generally to describe a mental state – a “mood disorder” – in which a cluster of emotions, thoughts and behaviors converge. Not all depressed people exhibit the same symptoms and this is part of what makes diagnosis difficult in individual cases.

Symptoms can include:

• intense sadness
• low self-esteem
• loss of interest or pleasure in normally pleasurable activities
• significant changes to eating and sleeping habits
• ruminating about thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, guilt, regret, helplessness, hopelessness and/or self-hatred
• poor concentration and memory
• withdrawal from social situations and activities
• reduced sex drive
• thoughts of death or suicide

Alternative labels:

Major depressive disorder (MDD)
Recurrent depressive disorder
Clinical depression
Major depression
Unipolar depression
Unipolar disorder

Medical definitions of depression can require a certain number of symptoms over a specific length of time, before a diagnosis of clinical depression is made.