Target Symptoms of Depression

• Apparent/reported sadness: Sad mood reflected in speech, posture, and facial expressions. Depressed mood reported nonverbally regardless of the verbal messages (e.g., looks distressed but brightens up at times; appears miserable all the time).
• Anhedonia or inability to experience pleasure: Reduced interest in surroundings or activities that used to give pleasure (e.g., failure to feel any positive emotions).
• Change in appetite: Reduced desire for food or increased need to force oneself to eat (e.g., slightly reduced interest in food; eating because one has to).
• Change in sleep pattern: Reports experience of reduced duration or depth of sleep (e.g., slight dissatisfaction with sleep; sleep less than 3 hours a night).
• Inner tension: Feelings of vague discomfort, restlessness, or edginess leading to dread or panic (e.g., occasional edginess, irritability, restlessness; overwhelming panic).
• Difficulty getting started: Slowness initiating or performing daily activities (e.g., some sluggishness; unable to do anything without help).
• Negative thoughts: Representing thoughts of guilt, remorse, or inferiority (e.g., ideas of low self-esteem, failure, self-accusations; absurd and unshakable pessimism).
• Poor concentration: Representing difficulties in comprehending messages (e.g., difficulties in reading; inability to follow a conversation).
• Thoughts of death: Stating that a natural death would be welcome, that life is not worth living (e.g., weary of life; ending own life is considered as a possible option; active preparation for suicide).