How can I tell if I have symptoms of depression? Depression is mainly characterized by depressed mood, slowed thinking and reduced volitional activity, and most cases also have various physical symptoms. 1.Depressed state of mind: the basic features are depressed mood, distress and sadness and lack of interest. Patients feel pessimistic and desperate, painful and unbearable, with the feeling that life is like years and death. Patients often describe their inner experience as “living is meaningless” and “I can’t be happy”. The typical person has a depressive mood, which is heavy during the day and light at night, and often coexists with anxiety. 2. Delayed thinking: the thought association process is inhibited, the reaction is slow, and the brain is not able to turn, which is manifested by the reduction of active speech, the speed of speech is significantly slowed down, and the effort to think about the problem. The reaction is slow and requires a long wait. 3.Decreased volitional activities: active activities are significantly reduced, life is passive, manifested as reluctance to participate in the outside world and the usual activities of interest, often alone; life is lazy, developed into non-verbal and immobile, can reach the degree of rigidity; the most dangerous is the recurrence of suicidal thoughts and behavior. 4, physical symptoms: Most depressed patients have physical and other physical symptoms, such as palpitations, chest tightness, constipation, gastrointestinal discomfort, loss of appetite and weight loss and sleep disorders. Sleep disorders are especially prominent, mostly manifested as difficulty falling asleep or waking up early. 5. Other: hallucinations, depersonalization, dissociation of reality, obsessive-compulsive and phobic symptoms may also occur during depressive episodes. Due to significant slowing of thinking and memory loss, it is easy to affect the cognitive function of elderly patients, leading to depressive pseudo-dementia.