Clinical depression is diagnosed in the presence of several key symptoms. These symptoms are evident in either mood, behavior, or thought patterns. After a combination of these symptoms are found, doctors must then rule out any other catalysts. The patients physical health is examined, to insure that the symptoms are not the result of any physical anomalies. It must then be determined that the depression is not the caused by any "natural" means--meaning that the depression is not a proportionate response to a grief-inducing event.

Grief is defined as an appropriate emotional reaction to an event such as the loss of a loved one, loneliness, divorce, or a similar tragedy. Clinical depression occurs when an individual experiences the symptoms of grief, without any connection to such an event. These symptoms occur for an extended period, and are not effected by any outside events.

Physical and Emotional Clinical Depression Symptoms

Clinical depression symptoms can be manifested in both physical and emotional capacities. Physical symptoms include loss of appetite, radical changes in sleep patterns (ranging from insomnia to excessive sleep), and frequent, unexplained fluctuations in energy level. The energy level changes might range from hyperactive to inactive, and the sudden shifts between these two states create what is called manic depression in clinically depressed individuals.

Emotional and psychiatric clinical depression symptoms may not be as immediately obvious as their physical counterparts. These can include a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities or events, withdrawn and antisocial behavior, the onset of new phobias, and continuous feelings of self-doubt, despair, and morbidity. When an individual is diagnosed with clinical depression, doctors must first eliminate the possibility of any physical ailments that might be eliciting the symptoms. In order for the condition to be considered clinical depression, the symptoms must exist independent of, or disproportionate to any appropriate stimuli that might cause them.