Symptoms and Assessment
Symptoms and assessment
Understand common depressive symptoms, diagnostic limits, bipolar screening and medical look-alikes.
Symptoms
Emotional Numbness and Depression: What It Means and Getting Help
Feeling emotionally numb can occur with depression, stress or medication effects. Learn what to describe in an assessment and how to seek support safely.
SymptomsFatigue and Depression: Causes, Assessment and Managing Energy
Depression can cause fatigue, but persistent exhaustion also needs physical and sleep assessment. Learn what to track, how to adapt tasks and when to seek help.
SymptomsGuilt, Worthlessness and Depression: Understanding and Getting Help
Depression can intensify guilt and feelings of worthlessness. Learn how to distinguish responsibility from self-condemnation and when urgent support is needed.
SymptomsIrritability and Depression: Anger, Assessment and Support
Depression can involve irritability rather than obvious sadness. Learn what else to assess, how to reduce conflict and when a change needs urgent help.
SymptomsDepression and Procrastination: Why Starting Feels Hard
Depression can make tasks feel overwhelming. Explore practical ways to identify barriers, start smaller, ask for support and recognize when treatment is needed.
SymptomsDepression and Erectile Dysfunction: Assessment and Treatment
Depression and erection difficulties can overlap, but physical causes and medicines also matter. Learn what assessment covers and how treatment is chosen.
SymptomsLow Libido and Depression: Causes, Medication and Support
Depression, treatment and physical health can affect sexual desire. Learn how to discuss changes, protect consent and find appropriate support without pressure.
SymptomsLoss of Appetite and Depression: Causes, Support and Warning Signs
Depression may reduce appetite, but persistent poor intake or unexplained weight loss needs assessment. Learn practical supports and when to seek urgent care.
SymptomsDepression and Overeating: Appetite Changes and Getting Help
Depression can affect appetite and eating routines. Learn how increased hunger differs from binge eating and how to seek support without blame or restriction.
SymptomsInsomnia and Depression: Sleep Problems and Treatment
Insomnia and depression can occur together. Learn about sleep assessment, CBT-I, medication reviews and practical ways to reduce sleep-related pressure.
SymptomsHypersomnia and Depression: Excessive Sleepiness and Assessment
Sleeping too much or struggling to stay awake can overlap with depression. Learn how sleepiness differs from fatigue and when to seek a sleep assessment.
SymptomsDepression and Brain Fog: Memory, Focus and Practical Help
Depression can affect concentration, memory and decisions. Learn what brain fog can mean, what else to assess, and how to make daily tasks more manageable.
SymptomsApathy and Depression: Differences, Causes and Support
Apathy is reduced motivation or initiative, not simply laziness. Learn how it differs from depression, anhedonia and fatigue, and what assessment can clarify.
SymptomsPassive Suicidal Ideation: What It Means and When to Get Help
Passive suicidal thoughts deserve support even without a plan. Learn how to describe them, seek assessment, and build a practical safety plan.
SymptomsDepression and Suicidal Thoughts: Getting Help and Staying Safe
Understand suicidal thoughts in depression, when to seek emergency help, how to tell someone, and what a practical safety and treatment plan includes.
Assessment
Serotonin and Depression: What the Evidence Does and Does Not Show
Depression is not diagnosed as a simple serotonin deficiency. Understand the research debate, antidepressant evidence and questions for a medication review.
AssessmentMedical Conditions That Can Resemble or Contribute to Depression
Thyroid problems, anemia, sleep disorders and medicines can overlap with depression symptoms. Learn how targeted medical assessment can help.
AssessmentAdjustment Disorder vs Depression: How Assessment Differs
Distress after a major stressor may involve adjustment disorder, depression or another response. Learn what clinicians assess and how support is planned.
AssessmentGrief vs Depression: Differences, Overlap and Support
Grief and depression can overlap. Learn what a careful assessment considers, when support may help, and why there is no single timetable for grieving.
AssessmentBPD vs Depression: Differences, Overlap and Treatment
Borderline personality disorder and depression can coexist. Learn how clinicians assess their differences and plan treatment without stigma.
AssessmentBurnout vs Depression: Differences, Overlap and Getting Help
Learn how work-related burnout differs from depression, why they can overlap, and how to assess symptoms and plan practical support.
AssessmentBipolar vs Unipolar Depression: Differences and Assessment
Bipolar and unipolar depression can look similar. Learn why past changes in energy, sleep and behavior matter for diagnosis and treatment.
AssessmentMild, Moderate and Severe Depression: What Severity Means
Depression severity involves symptoms, duration, functioning and safety, not just a score. Learn how clinicians assess it and match support to need.
AssessmentHow Depression Is Diagnosed: Assessment, Tests and Next Steps
Understand how clinicians diagnose depression, what an assessment covers, when physical tests help, and how to prepare for your appointment.
AssessmentDepression Screening: PHQ-9 Scores and What Comes Next
Learn what depression screening and PHQ-9 scores can tell you, their limits, and what a positive result should lead to in a clinical assessment.
AssessmentRespiratory Depression: Warning Signs and Emergency Response
Respiratory depression is dangerously reduced breathing, not a mood disorder. Recognize warning signs, call emergency services, and understand naloxone.