Which symptom describes significant weight change or appetite disturbance?

Which symptom describes significant weight change or appetite disturbance?

• A. Anhedonia
• B. Significant weight change
• C. Insomnia
• D. Fatigue

Answer: (B)

Weight change or appetite disturbance is a somatic symptom commonly seen with depressive disorders and is captured in standard depression screens as a direct description of physical changes in eating or body weight. This makes it the best match for the prompt, since it specifically describes weight and appetite alterations rather than other depression-related symptoms. Anhedonia is about lost interest or pleasure, insomnia is trouble sleeping, and fatigue is low energy; while each can occur with depression, they do not describe changes in weight or appetite. In HIV care, noticing weight and appetite shifts is important because they can reflect mood issues, nutritional problems, or medication effects, all of which can impact adherence and overall health.

Weight change or appetite disturbance is a somatic symptom commonly seen with depressive disorders and is captured in standard depression screens as a direct description of physical changes in eating or body weight. This makes it the best match for the prompt, since it specifically describes weight and appetite alterations rather than other depression-related symptoms. Anhedonia is about lost interest or pleasure, insomnia is trouble sleeping, and fatigue is low energy; while each can occur with depression, they do not describe changes in weight or appetite. In HIV care, noticing weight and appetite shifts is important because they can reflect mood issues, nutritional problems, or medication effects, all of which can impact adherence and overall health.