Chronic depression
Chronic Depression is a mental disorder that is characterized by periods of sadness lasting for more than 2 weeks, sometimes as long as 2 years along with associated symptoms of:
- Anhedonia: Loss of pleasure in otherwise pleasurable situation.
- Appetite variation: Either increased or decreased appetite due to effect in circadian rhythm.
- Sleep disturbances might include:
a) Insomnia: Early morning awakening/irritated sleep/delayed onset of sleep
b) Hypersomnia: Increased sleep, withdrawal from reality. - Psychomortor retardation or agitation: Reflected on motor behaviour, clumsiness of posture or gait, low self image, reduced volume of voice.
- Loss of energy: Continued state of fatigue.
- Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness and haplessness, associated with inappropriate guilt, which often leads to narcissistic injury.
- Thought difficulty or cognitive errors are present.
- Morbid thoughts: Recurrent thought of death and suicide.
- Loss of Libido: Reduced sexual needs or loss of ability to enjoy sexual activity
- Co-morbid anxiety and diurnal clock variation is evident.