Signs of Depression
Experiencing symptoms of depression can be incredibly debilitating and can negatively impact your quality of life. If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of depression, know that there are tons of helpful resources and treatments available that can help reduce uncomfortable symptoms.
Major Depressive Disorder
Depression can be sparked by a stressful life event, past trauma that is resurfacing, and/or a combination of genetic factors. Major Depressive Disorder is a mood disorder where more often than not within a two-week period an individual will experience at least five of the listed depressive symptoms. Two of these five symptoms must include depressed mood and anhedonia to qualify for a diagnosis.
Depressed Mood
Depressed mood can be described as feeling down, low, and sad. You may experience bouts of crying that you don’t quite understand or have a hard time preventing yourself from being tearful throughout the day. In some, a depressed mood can manifest as anger and rage. This may look like someone who starts fights often, breaks objects, and has an explosive temper.
Feeling blue, unloved, or hopeless sometimes is a normal part of the human experience. There’s nothing wrong with you for feeling that way from time to time, especially in reaction to specific events in your life — like a death in the family, a romantic breakup, a poor grade, or losing a promotion at work. That’s not depression.
Depression often comes about for absolutely no reason whatsoever. It can hit someone when they’re just living their lives, doing nothing particularly special, and suddenly can’t function. Nothing seems to matter. The black hole they find themselves in just grows larger and larger every day, and there’s nothing they can do to stop it.
Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few symptoms, some many. The severity of symptoms varies with individuals and also varies over time.
Here are ten common signs of clinical depression:
- Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
- Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
- Decreased energy, fatigue, or feeling “slowed down”
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
- Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
- Thoughts of death or suicide or actual suicide attempts
- Restlessness or irritability
Treatment helps relieve depressive symptoms and tends to help end a depressive episode more quickly than if left untreated. If you feel like you or a loved meets most of the above symptoms, you may want to take depression screening quiz to see if you meet the diagnostic criteria for depression.
Please if you need help there is help out there!