The signs and symptoms of Depression include anxiety, tearfulness for no obvious reason, short temper, disturbed sleep patterns, lack of energy, feelings of hopelessness and despair, loneliness even in company, poor concentration, difficulty in making decisions, loss of appetite to the point of weight loss, preoccupation with fear of illness, unreasonable sense of personal failure, negative thoughts about the future, feeling guilty for no reason, low self esteem, reduced sex drive, general slowness of thought and movement and mood swings during the day, often from bad in the morning to better as the day wears on.

Having one or two of these symptoms occasionally, or for a short time, does not necessarily constitute Depression. Life has its ups and downs. However, people suffering from numerous symptoms which persist for more than a fortnight probably need to seek help or guidance. Depression is suffered by more women than men, the ratio being about 2:1, possibly due to Postnatal Depression.

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