All of us feel depressed from time to time but how can we tell the difference between the blues, a mild depression and a depressive episode that requires outside help? To answer this question, we first need to come to a basic understanding of what depression is. Depression can either consist of a collection of certain symptoms or a concentration of a few symptoms. Some of the more common symptoms of depression include: Frequent crying or an overwhelming feeling of sadness, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, self-loathing, changes in sleeping or eating patterns, loss of pleasure in things that used to give you pleasure, anxiety, anger, difficulty concentrating, a lack of interest in things that used to interest you and even thoughts of suicide. The symptoms of the blues usually only lasts a few days. With a mild depression there are usually breaks in the depressive feelings and oftentimes, the depression can be linked to a specific incident. In a depressive episode, the duration is much longer with rarely any respite from the symptoms. Chances are that if you need to seek outside help, you are either experiencing a severe mild depression or a full… Read more »