Question:
Loss of appetite, extreme exhaustion, dizziness, nausea,
sleeplessness....... mentally I feel pretty good, but if I have to
suffer these symptoms I would rather be dead. ?
Answer:
i found the physical symptoms of depression fascinating;
from personal experience, i had heaviness of body - like
i weighed 600 lbs; also i had something like personal
disintegration after crying non-stop for a week - i don't
believe in Freud, but this really felt like regression to
childhood; Kraeplin has some neat physical signs like - salt on the skin,
papery dehydration of the skin, vein engorgement - some really
strange stuff, pointing to a sure sign that manic depression
at least is metabolic;
Depression involves physiological, emotional and cognitive symptoms. The
criteria worked out by The American Psychiatric Association in The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition (DSM-III)
include: *Change of appetite and weight;
*Sleep disorders;
*Inner strain or belated motory reactions;
*Lack of energy, fatigue;
*Nervousness;
*Concentration and memory disorders;
*Lack of pleasure and interest in almost any kind of activity;
*Tendencies of guilt;
*Thought or attempt of suicide.
The presence of 5 of these symptoms shows major depression. Both the
physician and the patient are mostly concerned with physical diseases and
tend to ignore depression.
7 ... do I get a prize? My simple answer to a serious question is that in my depression I often
notice a marked increase in physical manifestations, especially pain
(migraine, increase in fibromyalgic pain, transient muscle spasms). Often
this is a prodrome to a change in the actual mood, however, over the years I
have become acutely aware that I don't have to be thinking about killing
myself (a very rare symptom) to be deeply depressed.
