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Patient education: Depression in adults (Beyond the Basics)

Patient education: Depression in adults (Beyond the Basics)
Author:
Jeffrey M Lyness, MD
Section Editor:
Peter P Roy-Byrne, MD
Deputy Editor:
David Solomon, MD
Literature review current through: Nov 2022. | This topic last updated: Jul 25, 2022.

DEPRESSION OVERVIEW — Clinical depression is a medical condition that goes beyond everyday sadness. It can cause profound, long-lasting symptoms and often interferes with one's usual daily activities. A person's vulnerability to developing this disorder is often related to many factors, including changes in brain function, genetics, coping styles, and life stresses and circumstances.

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder worldwide. In the United States, nearly 20 percent of the population experiences a bout of clinical depression at some point in their lifetime. Even so, many people who have the disorder don't discuss their symptoms with a health care provider. Instead, two-thirds of people with depression who see a health care provider for routine care come in complaining of other symptoms such as headache, back problems, or chronic pain.

People may be reluctant to discuss their depression symptoms for a number of reasons. Often, they're concerned about the stigma of mental illness; sometimes, they worry that a primary care provider is not the appropriate health professional to ask; some see their condition as a personal weakness rather than a "real" illness; and some are worried about the implications of having a psychiatric illness entered into their permanent record. But effective treatments do exist, and not treating depression can lead to serious problems.

People with untreated depression have a lower quality of life, a higher risk of suicide, and worse prognoses if they have any medical conditions alongside depression. In fact, people with depression are almost twice as likely to die as people without depression, mostly due to other medical conditions. What's more, depression affects not only the person with the disorder but also those around them.

This topic reviews the clinical features and diagnosis of depression in adults. The treatment of depression in adults is discussed separately, as are the diagnosis and treatment of depression in children and adolescents. (See "Patient education: Depression treatment options for adults (Beyond the Basics)" and "Patient education: Depression in children and adolescents (Beyond the Basics)" and "Patient education: Depression treatment options for children and adolescents (Beyond the Basics)".)

More detailed information about depression is available by subscription. (See 'Professional level information' below.)

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION — Depression can take many forms and has varying levels of severity. Part of the variability in the disorder happens because it can co-occur with many other mental disorders (such as anxiety disorders or substance use disorders), which shape the symptoms of depression.

To explore whether you might meet the criteria for depression and how severe it is, see the questionnaire (calculator 1) (table 1).

Diagnostic criteria — When people talk about so-called "clinical depression," they're usually referring to what health care providers call major depression (also called major depressive disorder or unipolar major depression). To be diagnosed with major depression, a person must have five or more of the following symptoms present most of the day nearly every day for at least two consecutive weeks. For the diagnosis, at least one symptom must be either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure.

Depressed mood – People with depression tend to feel sad, hopeless, discouraged, "blue," or "down in the dumps." Sometimes they describe this as feeling "blah" or having no feelings. Plus, some people with depression feel anxious, annoyed, frustrated, irritable, or angry.

Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all activities – People with depression are no longer as interested in or feel as much pleasure doing the things they used to enjoy. The medical term for this is anhedonia. Hobbies and activities lose their appeal, and depressed people say "they don't care anymore." They may withdraw from or lose interest in friends, social activities, or hobbies. Many depressed people lose interest in sex.

Change in appetite or weight – Appetite and weight can either decrease or increase as part of depression. Some people have to force themselves to eat, while others eat more and sometimes crave specific foods (such as junk food and carbohydrates). Some people with severe depression can gain or lose so much weight that they have health problems related to their weight change.

Insomnia or hypersomnia (sleeping too little or too much) – Depression often disrupts sleep patterns, leading people to either sleep too much or be unable to fall asleep or stay asleep. Even when they do sleep, people with depression often say that they do not feel rested and have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning.

Psychomotor agitation or slowing (restlessness or sluggishness) – People with depression can feel agitated and restless, or have the opposite effect and feel slowed down. Agitation can manifest as hand-wringing, pacing, or fidgeting, while slowing can manifest as a reduction of body movements or a sense of slowed thinking or speaking.

Fatigue or loss of energy – People with depression often feel exhausted and listless. They sometimes need to rest during the day or even feel as though their arms and legs are weighted down. Many have trouble starting or completing tasks.

Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt – People with depression can feel inadequate, inferior, worthless, or like a failure. They often carry tremendous guilt about things that they may have done or not done. Often this leads them to misinterpret neutral events or minor setbacks as evidence of personal failings.

Poor concentration – Some people with depression have trouble thinking clearly, concentrating, or making decisions. They can also be easily distracted or complain of memory problems.

Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide – People who are depressed can experience recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, and may attempt suicide. Thoughts of death or suicide, termed "suicidal ideation," can be passive, meaning the person thinks simply that life is not worth living. Suicidal ideation can also be active, meaning the person actively wants to die or kill themselves. People with any form of suicidal ideation need prompt medical attention. (See 'How can I get help?' below.)

Some people have specific plans for suicide or have started making preparations. Preparations can take the form of selecting a time and place for suicide or buying a stockpile of lethal medications or a gun. Some have even made unsuccessful attempts at suicide, and some die by suicide.

Suicidality gets worse when people feel hopeless and see suicide as their only escape from intense and endless emotional pain.

Some people with depression hurt themselves, for example by superficially cutting or burning their skin.

Other symptoms of depression can include anxiety, hopelessness, and ruminative thinking (tending to dwell on the same negative thoughts).

Subtypes of depression — Aside from major depression, discussed above, there are other forms of depression, which are characterized by their most prominent symptoms (see 'Diagnostic criteria' above). Examples include:

Depression with mixed features – This is the term for depression that is accompanied by some manic symptoms, but not enough to diagnose a person with bipolar disorder. A person with this type of illness might do things like talk much more than usual, have extra energy, sleep less, or have episodes of seeming unusually happy or excited.

Anxious depression – The most prominent symptoms of anxious depression include worrying, pacing, and other manifestations of anxiety.

Situation-specific forms of depression – For example, women sometimes develop depression just before or just after giving birth, called "peripartum onset," or cyclically, just before menstruating, called "premenstrual dysphoric disorder" (see "Patient education: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) (Beyond the Basics)").

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – This is a form of depression that comes and goes during certain times of the year. The most common form of SAD starts in late fall and goes away in the spring and summer, only to return the next fall.

Treatment for the different forms of depression can vary depending on the person's symptoms and situation.

How can I get help? — If you think you might have depression, talk to your health care provider. They will talk to you about your symptoms, ask you questions, and discuss your treatment options with you. (See 'Diagnosis' below.)

Get help right away if you are thinking of hurting or killing yourself! — Sometimes, people with depression think of hurting or killing themselves. If you ever feel like you might hurt yourself, help is available:

In the United States, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

To speak to someone, call or text 988

To talk to someone online, go to www.988lifeline.org/chat

Call your doctor or nurse and tell them that it is an emergency

Call for an ambulance (in the United States and Canada, call 9-1-1)

Go to the emergency department at your local hospital

If you think your partner might have depression, or if you are worried that they might hurt themselves, get them help right away.

COMORBIDITY — When a person has two or more medical conditions, the conditions occurring together are called comorbidities. Depression can occur on its own, but it often occurs along with other psychiatric or medical disorders. In fact, having another psychiatric or medical disorder increases the risk of developing depression.

Psychiatric — Among the psychiatric conditions that can co-occur with depression are anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance (alcohol and drug) use disorders, and others. It is also possible to have depression along with a personality disorder, such as avoidant or borderline personality disorder.

Medical — Depression can co-occur with other medical problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many others. The relationship between depression and medical comorbidities is complicated. Depression can worsen in the face of medical problems and, at the same time, cause the medical conditions themselves to worsen. In part that's because depression makes it hard for people to take care of their medical conditions.

DIAGNOSIS — If your health care provider suspects you could have clinical depression, he or she will ask about your symptoms and state of mind. The most important information will come from your description of your illness.

During the exam, the health care provider will:

Note and observe which signs of depression you have

Determine when your symptoms began and whether they have happened before (and, if so, how they progressed)

Figure out how your symptoms are affecting your everyday life and relationships

Ask about factors that could be making your symptoms better or worse (such as stressful life events or a loss)

Ask whether any of your family members have a history of depression, suicide, bipolar disorder, or other forms of mental illness

Address any other psychiatric or general medical conditions you may have (such as an anxiety or substance use disorder, or heart disease), and explore whether any of the medications you take could be contributing to your symptoms

Check whether you have ever had symptoms of what health care providers call mania, which is when you feel happy, charged, impulsive, frenetic and grandiose (these could be a sign of another psychiatric condition called bipolar disorder) (see "Patient education: Bipolar disorder (Beyond the Basics)")

Suicide risk — As part of your evaluation, your health care providers will need to determine whether you are at risk of suicide. They will ask if you have thoughts of death or suicide and, if so, whether those thoughts include any specific plans or actions.

Depending on your level of risk, your health care providers may decide to simply follow your progress or – if they are concerned about the risk of suicide – refer you to a mental health expert or the local hospital's emergency department.

Suicidal thoughts that are part of depression can improve with treatment, just like other symptoms of depression. This makes it all the more important to see a health care provider because death or injury from suicide attempts in depression can be prevented with proper treatment.

Physical examination — If your symptoms are new or have no apparent precipitant, or if they do not improve with treatment, your health care provider may want to examine you. Some medical conditions can cause symptoms of depression. Accordingly, it's possible you'll need lab tests or other types of tests to check for hormonal imbalances or other possible medical conditions that can cause depressive symptoms.

RISK FACTORS FOR DEPRESSION — Depression occurs more often in people with certain risk factors or characteristics. These include:

A personal or family history of depression

Baseline tendencies to worry about things in ways that are not healthy or reasonable, or to view things in negative ways

Low self-esteem

An anxiety disorder

Substance misuse (such as problem drinking or full-on drug addiction)

Trauma during childhood or adulthood

Stressful life events in past year

Parental loss or other stressful circumstances during childhood

History of divorce, or marital or relationship problems

Low social support

Low education

BIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN DEPRESSION — The brains of people with clinical depression show marked differences from those of people without depression in the number and size of certain types of brain cells, in the chemicals (called neurotransmitters) that brain cells use to communicate with each other, and in the size of certain brain structures. It is not clear, however, whether these differences induce depression or whether being depressed causes these changes to occur.

TREATMENT — If you are diagnosed with depression, your health care provider will tell you what type of depression you have, and what treatments might work for you. Often treatment involves psychotherapy, antidepressant medication, or a combination of the two. Treatment of depression is discussed separately. (See "Patient education: Depression treatment options for adults (Beyond the Basics)".)

WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION — Your health care provider is the best source of information for questions and concerns related to your medical problem.

This article will be updated as needed on our website (www.uptodate.com/patients). Related topics for patients, as well as selected articles written for health care professionals, are also available. Some of the most relevant are listed below.

Patient level information — UpToDate offers two types of patient education materials.

The Basics — The Basics patient education pieces answer the four or five key questions a patient might have about a given condition. These articles are best for patients who want a general overview and who prefer short, easy-to-read materials.

Patient education: Depression (The Basics)
Patient education: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) (The Basics)
Patient education: Medicines for depression (The Basics)
Patient education: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) (The Basics)
Patient education: Post-traumatic stress disorder (The Basics)
Patient education: Depression during and after pregnancy (The Basics)
Patient education: Coping after pregnancy loss (The Basics)
Patient education: Seasonal affective disorder (The Basics)
Patient education: When you have depression and another health problem (The Basics)
Patient education: Serotonin syndrome (The Basics)

Beyond the Basics — Beyond the Basics patient education pieces are longer, more sophisticated, and more detailed. These articles are best for patients who want in-depth information and are comfortable with some medical jargon.

Patient education: Depression treatment options for adults (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Depression in children and adolescents (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Depression treatment options for children and adolescents (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Bipolar disorder (Beyond the Basics)

Professional level information — Professional level articles are designed to keep doctors and other health professionals up-to-date on the latest medical findings. These articles are thorough, long, and complex, and they contain multiple references to the research on which they are based. Professional level articles are best for people who are comfortable with a lot of medical terminology and who want to read the same materials their doctors are reading.

The following organizations also provide reliable health information.

National Library of Medicine

(www.medlineplus.gov/healthtopics.html)

National Institute of Mental Health

(www.nimh.nih.gov)

American Psychiatric Association

(www.psych.org)

American Psychological Association

(www.apa.org)

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

(www.aacap.org)

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

(www.DBSAlliance.org)

Mental Health America

(www.mhanational.org)

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill

(www.nami.org)

[1-3]

  1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
  2. Park LT, Zarate CA Jr. Depression in the Primary Care Setting. N Engl J Med 2019; 380:559.
  3. Malhi GS, Mann JJ. Depression. Lancet 2018; 392:2299.
This generalized information is a limited summary of diagnosis, treatment, and/or medication information. It is not meant to be comprehensive and should be used as a tool to help the user understand and/or assess potential diagnostic and treatment options. It does NOT include all information about conditions, treatments, medications, side effects, or risks that may apply to a specific patient. It is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for the medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of a health care provider based on the health care provider's examination and assessment of a patient's specific and unique circumstances. Patients must speak with a health care provider for complete information about their health, medical questions, and treatment options, including any risks or benefits regarding use of medications. This information does not endorse any treatments or medications as safe, effective, or approved for treating a specific patient. UpToDate, Inc. and its affiliates disclaim any warranty or liability relating to this information or the use thereof. The use of this information is governed by the Terms of Use, available at https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/know/clinical-effectiveness-terms ©2023 UpToDate, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved.
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