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Diagnosis 

Depression encompasses a wide variety of symptoms. Central to depression is the presence of persistenty low mood, fatigue, and anhedonia. It is important to remember that depression is a mental illness, and can impair a patient's life significantly. It not only affects them mentally but they ca be affected physically, and behaviour can .... as well. Depressive symptoms can present as mental, emotional, physical and behavioural symptoms. The symptoms in the table below, are what are known as typical depressive symptoms. 

Typical depressive symptoms

Signs and symptoms 

Some patients will present with what are known as atypical symptoms. 

​These symptoms must be present throughout the day, most of the time during the depressive episodes 

Atypical symptoms 

  • Mood reactivity: mood can change according to surrounding environment i.e. good mood can be induced in response to positive events or environments

  • Marked increase in appetite or weight 

  • Hypersomnia: this can include a continuation of night sleep, OR  napping throughout the day consisting of a tleast 10 hours of sleep

  • Leaden paralyisis: this term is used to reflect the "heavy" sensation that patients feel in their arms and legs 

  • Sensitivity to rejection , which can cause social or occupational impairment  

       Note: this can be aggrevated during depressive            episodes, and can be present during/and in the            absence of depressive episodes 

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