Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way a person eats, sleeps, feels about himself or herself, and thinks about things. The essential feature of Clinical depression is a state of extreme distress in which the individual feels empty or numb rather than merely sad. The depressed person is unable to enjoy life normally or have an emotional shift from the depressed state. In a Major Depressive Episode, someone might also experience:
• either diminished appetite with weight loss or increased appetite with weight gain,
• either insomnia or increased sleep,
• either agitation or slowed movements,
• loss of all pleasure and enjoyment,
• tiredness and fatigue,
• feelings of guilt and worthlessness,
• poor concentration, and
• thoughts of death, including suicidal thoughts and plans.
Suicidal thoughts are always abnormal, and are an indication of needing urgent help.