Diagnosis of Depression
Diagnosis of Depression
Every medical condition leads to certain specific changes in different parts of the body. The health of the patient is affected from basic to severe level depending on the type of the medical condition. Depression is also a medical condition linked to the mind of the individual. It is one of the most common mental illnesses which can occur in any individual irrespective of gender and age. One must know that to understand the presence of depression in him, he needs to undergo a series of physical and medical tests after consulting the medical specialist.
Diagnosis of Depression with physical examination and lab tests:
Physical examination is the primary test for depressive disorders. There are different illnesses which lead to a depressive condition in the respective patients. The primary aim of the doctor is to examine the neurological and endocrine system health of the current patient. With this, the mental specialist and medical expert will ensure whether the patient is already suffering from a major illness which has affected certain body parts. Hypothyroidism and Cushing’s Disease are some of the major medical conditions which lead to depressive disorder in patients. Certain basic to advanced lab tests are performed to confirm the patient about the presence of any other medical condition which can be a cause of depressive conditions.
Symptoms noted for diagnosing depression:
A mental health specialist focuses on particular aspects linked to depression. Each of these symptoms associated with depression ensures that the doctor can diagnose the presence of depressive disorder in the patient. These symptoms form the criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Based on the symptoms/criteria, the level of the depression is specified by the doctor. This is mainly classified into mild, moderate, and severe types. These criteria keep getting updated from time to time which helps in better diagnosis followed by treatment of the patient with presence of depression. Here are the health-related concerns questioned by the medical specialist to confirm presence of depression.
- Loss of happy and content mood during most of the times
- Loss of interest in the most pleasurable things in life
- Evident occurrence of insomnia or loss of sleep in patients
- Loss of energy in the respective individual
- Noticeable restlessness even during regular times of the days
- Occurrence of recurrent thoughts throughout the day
These mainly form symptoms of depression which needs to be considered at the time of concluding the presence of depression. Such symptoms can last in the term period of weeks, months to even years. The episodes linked with the depressive disorder vary from recurrent, chronic, and longstanding.
There are certain medical conditions which are present along with the depressive disorders or mimic them. These medical disorders include the following:
- Medical illnesses already present in the patient including Diabetes, Hypertension, HIV/AIDS
- Presence of substance abuse concerning medications, drugs, and alcohol.
- Presence of psychiatric disorders in the respective patient including bipolar syndrome, Schizophrenia, and similar medical conditions
Thus, the diagnosis of depression proves to be a beneficial part of the treatment of the respective patient. If the symptoms mentioned above present in the criteria are seen in the patient, then the family members should not delay consulting the mental specialist as soon as possible and receive the right diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
