Do you think that someone you know
has depression, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)?
Use the checklists to tell if your friend or family member
could have symptoms for any of these conditions. Just print
out the checklist for the condition(s) you think he or she
might have and fill it out.
Depression
Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and
thoughts. With depression, a person feels extremely sad
and is not interested in everyday life. It affects the way
a person eats and sleeps. It affects the way a person feels
and the way he or she thinks about things.
Depression isn't the same as feeling "blue" for a while.
People with depression can't simply "pull themselves together"
and get better. It's not a sign of weakness or a character
flaw. Without treatment, symptoms can last weeks, months,
or even years.
Social anxiety disorder is also called social phobia. It's
when a person feels very nervous and filled with anxiety
in everyday social situations. People with social phobia
have a constant, extreme fear of being watched and judged
by other people. They're also afraid of being embarrassed
by their own actions.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that
can occur after a person has lived through a terrifying
event. Often people with PTSD have constant scary thoughts
and memories of what they went through. They also feel emotionally
numb, especially with people they used to be close to.
People with panic disorder have feelings of terror that
come suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. These are
called "panic attacks." Many people develop intense anxiety
between attacks. They also worry about when and where the
next attack will strike.
With obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a person has anxious
thoughts or habits that he or she can't control. A person
with OCD is consumed by these unwanted thoughts and images
or they have the urge to do certain rituals over and over
again.
