We see a lot of clients who come in for therapy feeling unsure if they have a diagnosis of depression or if they’re just feeling a normal amount of sadness. There is a clinical way to diagnose depression and there are different degrees of a depression diagnosis: mild, moderate, and severe. You could also be experiencing a single episode of depression meaning that you have been experiencing these symptoms of sadness for 2 weeks-6 months. If you have been experiencing these symptoms for greater than 6 months then you would be diagnosed with a more long-term depression. The short answer here is that everyone could use the benefits that come from going to therapy. So even if you are feeling a normal amount of sadness and you don’t technically qualify for a depression diagnosis, you could still get a lot out of going to therapy. Counseling can help you feel more yourself and that you’re in a better place to take on the world.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and life transitions. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing telehealth (video/phone) sessions to residents of New Jersey and New York.
To see if you have a depression diagnosis, look at the following symptoms and check off which ones you have been experiencing over the past few weeks:
Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
Less interest or pleasure doing activities that you usually enjoy doing
Significant weight loss or weight gain
Lack of appetite, or overeating more than usual
A slowing down of thoughts and/or physical movements, to a point in which others around you notice
Fatigue or loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness
Excessive or inappropriate amounts of guilt
Diminished ability to think or concentrate
Being indecisive often
Recurrent thoughts of death or wanting to harm yourself
After going through this list, look back at each symptom that you checked off that you have been experiencing for the last few weeks. Now ask yourself if you have been experiencing each symptom some days, most days, or daily. After you make these notes, ask yourself if you have been experiencing most of these symptoms for the past 2 weeks-6 months or has it been longer than 6 months? Lastly, you should think about how these symptoms have been impacting your daily life. Are they impacting your day-to-day in a negative way? Some examples are that you are isolating away from your friends and others around you, you’re not doing well in school or work, and you don’t enjoy doing the activities that you would typically get enjoyment out of.
Now it’s time to see if what you wrote down equates to a depression diagnosis.
Answer the following questions based off your results to the questions above:
Did you mark off that you experience one of the first 2 symptoms: depressed mood or less interest or pleasure doing activities that you usually enjoy doing? For a depression diagnosis, it is required to have one of these symptoms.
How many symptoms have you been experiencing on this list? A depression diagnosis requires at least 5 of these listed symptoms to be present.
How long have you been experiencing these symptoms for? If you answered between 2 weeks-6 months, you are experiencing an episode of depression. If you answered over 6 months then you have longer term depression that is typically more serious and chronic, but still treatable. If you have been experiencing symptoms for less than 2 weeks, but they are noticeable and significant, then you would qualify for an Adjustment Disorder that would most likely turn into a depressive episode after that 2 week time period.
Are you using any substances or do you have any medical conditions that may be causing these symptoms? It’s always important to rule these out first before determining a depression diagnosis. Also, if you recently had a baby then it is possible you are experiencing Postpartum Depression.
How often have you been experiencing these symptoms and how many symptoms are you experiencing? If you answered most of these symptoms and that you feel them daily then you have a severe level of depression. If you don’t experience all of the symptoms on the list and/or you experience the symptoms some days and others most days then you most likely have moderate depression. If you experience 5 symptoms on the list or close to that number and you only experience it some days then you probably have mild depression.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts…
It is very common for someone with clinical depression to experience suicidal thoughts that may include thoughts of wanting to harm themselves. Suicidal thoughts include thoughts of wanting to die, plans of how you could die or harm yourself, and/or creating a suicide plan. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Hotline for free at 1-800-273-8255 or 911 in an emergency. A licensed professional therapist will be able to help you with suicidal thoughts as well and it is a common symptom discussed in therapy sessions. But if you have a current plan and method to hurt yourself then it is the most helpful to reach out for help immediately by calling 911 and/or going to your nearest hospital.
How therapy can help someone with depression
If you are experiencing depression on any level described here then it could benefit you greatly to reach out to a licensed counselor for help. Therapy can help lift your mood and will help you create coping mechanisms that will ultimately decrease your depression symptoms so that you can function better in your daily life and get back to the person you enjoy being. It is recommended to reach out to a therapist first and see what level of depression they feel you are experiencing so that they can discuss an appropriate treatment plan with you. If your depression is severe and impacting your daily life in a negative way then it could be very beneficial to also see a psychiatrist for medication management. A lot of people try therapy first for a few months to see if they can feel better from that, but if their symptoms are slow to decrease then a psychiatry evaluation is a great addition to treatment for depression. Once seeing a psychiatrist, it is the best treatment to continue both therapy and medication management since medication enables your brain to have an easier time to work on what you’re doing in therapy sessions.
Courtney Glashow, LCSW
is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Hoboken, New Jersey. She specializes in helping teens and adults with anxiety, depression, and life transitions through counseling. Courtney can help NY or NJ residents through telehealth (video/phone) therapy sessions as well.
