If you've ever taken some of the online tests to determine whether or not you're depressed, you may have been shocked at the results. Although the sit

                                                                                         

If you've ever taken some of the online tests to determine whether or not you're depressed, you may have been shocked at the results. Although the sites warn that taking the tests are not a substitute for an interview with a health care professional, the tests can nevertheless be taken to heart - especially when the person taking them already suspects they might have a problem. But how many of the alleged symptoms are really 'illnesses' that have to be controlled with drugs, which is likely the treatment a person who's depressed would be given, and how many are just a warning sign that something in your life has to change, or a normal reaction to a bad situation?

Here is a list of symptoms used to diagnose depression.

feeling restless
feeling irritated
change in appetite - hungrier than usual, or less hungry than usual
losing weight
gaining weight
loss of interest in the things you usually like to do
less active than usual
trouble concentrating
forgetfulness
trouble making up your mind about something
feeling guilty
feeling sad
feeling hopeless
low self-esteem
thoughts of suicide
thoughts of death

Bear in mind that, to be diagnosed with depression, you need to have less than half of those symptoms and you have to have had them for only two weeks or, if the time period is shorter, they need to be interfering with your normal life.

So, if you worked in an industry where jobs were scarce and you messed up on the job badly enough to be fired, and you had a family to support, you might feel sad, and guilty. You might also lose your appetite somewhat, have trouble concentrating, and lose interest in some of your usual activites. That's a pretty normal reaction to the situation.

However, if after two weeks you still hadn't found a job and the situation was still getting you down, you could be diagnosed with depression. And prescribed antidepressants to treat it.

Is that the correct solution to the problem of not having a job? Hardly. The correct solutions would be putting out more resumes, taking a job in another field, working two jobs that pay less so you can keep up with the bills while waiting for the right job to come through, get trained for another profession, cut back on spending, learn to handle your finances differently so if this does happen again in the future you won't be left up the creek without a paddle - and so on.

Will taking prescription drugs help resolve the situation? Not only will they not solve the problem, their side effects could give you even more to cope with and may result in your taking even more drugs, and you may even get addicted and wind up in an addiction treatment center.

How many prescription drug addictions and dependencies start with a story like this? Unfortunately, quite a few. If you feel bad, there's a reason for it. Only finding that reason and addressing it will resolve the problem.

About the author:
Gloria MacTaggart is a freelance writer that contributes articles on health.

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