It is important for caregivers to be aware of the signs of serious depression and monitor the Care recipient (cr) for these signs if you…

Try: It is important for caregivers to be aware of the signs of serious depression and monitor the Care recipient (cr) for these signs if you suspect that the cr is becoming depressed appropriate steps should be taken to address the problem before it becomes more pronounced everybody experiences upsetting incidents in life and it is normal to go through a period of extreme sadness because of such events experiences like death of a loved one dissolution of a long-time relationship loss of work or property or failure in an endeavor can lead to a long period of sadness and grief normally people can get over the sad event and recover from it over time however should the melancholy linger for an unusual length of time or interfere with the activities of daily living you should try to determine if the cr is suffering from something more severe than just the blues the cr could be suffering from serious depression the primary symptoms are the cr cr’s gloomy low mood and low self-esteem this fact sheet will help you determine if the cr is suffering from serious depression a care recipient suffering from major depression is likely to develop a dreary outlook on life if a normally cheerful cr suddenly or gradually loses hope that the problem he or she is encountering will sort itself out in the future then the cr could be severely depressed the cr may feel a profound degree of helplessness and worthlessness the cr may start to believe that whatever he or she does no matter how much effort is put into it the situation will never get better often people around the cr will be put off by his or her pessimism this is normal reaction however if you truly care for the cr try to assess whether he or she is simply a pessimist or whether this gloomy mental state has been brought about by a serious mental disorder like a person abusing drugs seriously depressed individuals lose the capacity to feel pleasure and joy if the cr refuses to leave the bed and chooses to do nothing rather than go out or even take a bath this could be another sign of serious depression a depressed cr may no longer want to keep on living hobbies may be forgotten social activities may be diminished and even the cr cr’s sex drive could be lost the cr may lose interest in doing anything other than in ruminating over feelings of regret or guilt worthlessness or even self-hatred depression can also manifest physically if the cr is turning pale and developing dark bags under the eyes he or she could be suffering from insomnia the inability to sleep or its inverse – inability to stay awake is a symptom of clinical depression watch out also for acute weight changes both gaining and dropping weight are telltale signs of some underlying problems some crs tend to eat large quantities of food in order to fill the unexplainable sense of emptiness others also complain of relentless aches such as back pain cramps headaches and digestive problems these discomforts do not diminish even after taking medicines you may also observe some restlessness developing in a depressed cr watch out for unconscious hand wringing fidgeting in one’s seat or compulsion to pace across the same area repeatedly a care recipient recipient’s depressive state can affect mental faculties a depressed cr may have a hard time making decisions about anything the cr may also suffer from poor memory and diminished ability to concentrate severe cases are characterized by psychotic breaks where the cr may no longer be able to differentiate between reality and fantasy the cr also could suffer from hallucinations summary getting over a case of serious depression can be mentally emotionally and physically taxing a cr suffering from this disorder will likely need a lot of support and encouragement in order to recover it is important to remember that it is not all the cr cr’s fault he or she may not have made a choice to remain sad for a long period of time keeping this in mind could provide you with enough patience to assist the cr along the path of recovery information references adapted from www howtodothings com "how to recognize serious depression" by jessica turner no date

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Categories: Behavior Challenging, Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Personal, Sexuality Intimacy, Social, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

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Keywords: Depressed depression sad mental illness poor eating habits odd sleep patterns doesn’t sleep well sleeps too much sleeps all the time

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

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