Diagnostic Criteria for Depression:
During the teenage years, it’s completely normal to feel sad, irritable, or moody sometimes. If these feelings persist longer than a few weeks without improving or become so intense that you feel you can’t handle them, you may be suffering from depression.
The DSM IV recommends looking at these symptoms to see if how you feel matches. To meet the requirements for depression, you need at least 5 of the following to be present every day.
1. Depressed mood or irritable most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report
(e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). (You always feel like crying or everybody annoys you and you don’t know why. Your family and friends have noticed that you’re just not yourself)
2. Decreased interest or pleasure in most activities, most of each day
(May feel like you just don’t care about the things you use to)
3. Significant weight change (5%) or change in appetite
(You may have gained or lost weight, you feel like you’ve been eating more or don’t have an appetite)
4. Change in sleep: Insomnia or hypersomnia
(You may have a hard time falling asleep at night, staying asleep at night, or want to sleep all day)
5. Change in activity: Psychomotor agitation or retardation
(You feel slow, like you have no energy)
6. Fatigue or loss of energy
(You feel like you just want to stay in bed or on the couch all day, it takes too much effort to get up and see your friends)
7. Guilt/worthlessness: Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt
(You feel guilty for things you didn’t do, you feel like your nothing)
8. Concentration: diminished ability to think or concentrate, or more indecisiveness
(It’s really difficult for you to stay focused and pay attention sometimes)
9. Suicidality: Thoughts of death or suicide, or has suicide plan
(You think about death or killing yourself, you know how you want to kill yourself and have a plan)
The DSM IV recommends looking at these symptoms to see if how you feel matches. To meet the requirements for depression, you need at least 5 of the following to be present every day.
1. Depressed mood or irritable most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report
(e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). (You always feel like crying or everybody annoys you and you don’t know why. Your family and friends have noticed that you’re just not yourself)
2. Decreased interest or pleasure in most activities, most of each day
(May feel like you just don’t care about the things you use to)
3. Significant weight change (5%) or change in appetite
(You may have gained or lost weight, you feel like you’ve been eating more or don’t have an appetite)
4. Change in sleep: Insomnia or hypersomnia
(You may have a hard time falling asleep at night, staying asleep at night, or want to sleep all day)
5. Change in activity: Psychomotor agitation or retardation
(You feel slow, like you have no energy)
6. Fatigue or loss of energy
(You feel like you just want to stay in bed or on the couch all day, it takes too much effort to get up and see your friends)
7. Guilt/worthlessness: Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt
(You feel guilty for things you didn’t do, you feel like your nothing)
8. Concentration: diminished ability to think or concentrate, or more indecisiveness
(It’s really difficult for you to stay focused and pay attention sometimes)
9. Suicidality: Thoughts of death or suicide, or has suicide plan
(You think about death or killing yourself, you know how you want to kill yourself and have a plan)