10 Signs of Depression
Depression is a very common and serious medical condition which has a negative impact on your feelings, actions, and thinking. A person suffering from depression will feel sad. There will be no interest anymore for things or activities that used to be joyful before. Depression eventually will lead to many emotional and physical problems, significantly interfering with a person’s life.
Feeling sad is something quite normal after a sudden change in life. For example, it’s normal to feel sad after death of a loved one, after divorce, after losing a job, etc. However, being sad is not the same as having depression. Depression can affect anyone, no matter of gender, age, or race.
Sign of Depression #1: Persistent Sadness
Feeling sad every now and then is a normal reaction to certain events in life such as ending of a relationship, the death of a loved one, getting fired, being in financial problems, etc.
The problem with depression is related to duration and/or intensity of the symptoms. If you find yourself feeling sad for 6 months or more and/or if the symptoms are too intense (like suicidal ideation), you need to seek medical attention because you could be dealing with something more serious than grief.
Sign of Depression #2: Feelings of Hopelessness
Feelings of hopelessness are usually signs of melancholic depression. If a person has these feelings because of being depressed, it does not necessarily mean that there is really no hope in their lives. It’s because of their feelings that they see no hope in their life and no meaning.
To these feelings of hopelessness, add the feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and sadness. It is very difficult to improve your mood and feelings when you feel hopeless and that there is no point in trying to change anything. All this will make a person feel even worse and become even more depressed. It is important to break the cycle of negative thinking in order to escape from all these negative feelings.
Sign of Depression #3: Feelings of Worthlessness
Feelings of worthlessness have a significant negative effect on emotional and mental health. A patient dealing with depression can feel that their life has no value or meaning for others.
This feeling can lead to social isolation and eventually to substance abuse as a way to deal with their emotions. In severe cases, patients may neglect their hygiene and engage in unhealthy eating habits.
Sign of Depression #4: Feelings of Guilt
A depressed person will respond differently to guilt compared to a person without depression. Suffering from depression will make a person feel guilty more than it should, even for ridiculous things such as not cleaning the house, not taking proper care for the children, not going to an important meeting at work, etc. Usually, depressed people have a large list of things which makes them feel guilty.
These feelings of guilt can lead to other problems and just make the depression get worse as a person enters a cycle of negative thinking. It can also lead a person to self - harm and even to suicidal attempts.
Sign of Depression #5: Loss of Interest
Loss of interest, or anhedonia, is a major sign of depression. Depressed people lose their interest in previous enjoyable activities. They lose interest not only for hobbies or work, but they lose interest in family and friends too. A loss of interest in food and a loss of interest even for sex are common in a depressed person.
If a person loved to go fishing for example, but suddenly is not interested into fishing anymore, or if a person loved to hang out with friends on weekends, but suddenly prefers to stay at home alone, then these are warning signs of depression.
Sign of Depression #6: Sleep Disturbances
In cases of depression, sleep disturbances are quite common. A depressed person will either deal with a lack of sleep, and sometimes even with insomnia, or with oversleeping. Normally, sleeping too little or sleeping too much will have a significant effect on a person’s daily life and activities.
Depressed people tend to lie awake at night, unable to sleep. This can occur many nights in a row leading to insomnia problems. On the other hand, some depressed people due to being unmotivated, sad, and depressed, will find it difficult to get out of the bed and start the day. They rather prefer staying in the bed and even sleeping for long periods during the day, uninterested about the world that surrounds them.
Sign of Depression #7: Difficulty Remembering & Concentrating
Difficulty remembering and concentrating as signs of depression will affect a person’s ability to get things done and function normally. In depressed persons, the ability to receive new information quickly and efficiently is impaired.
In the beginning, a loss of memory and inability to concentrate properly are just annoying, but with time these cognitive problems become quite serious in a depressed person. This will all lead to problems of functioning normally at home, at work, or in school. Driving can become dangerous too.
Sign of Depression #8: Suicidal Thoughts
Thoughts of death or suicidal thoughts are perhaps the most serious signs of depression. In general, these suicidal thoughts are only temporary and can be treated. However, in certain cases, they will put a person in danger of harming themselves and even committing suicide.
Anyone who has thoughts of death or suicide should ask for help. However, many people with these thoughts keep them a secret. if you find a person talking about these kinds of topics, you should try to get them professional help, do not underestimate the seriousness of this sign.
Sign of Depression #9: Fatigue
Fatigue is a common sign of depression. As a person feels tired and exhausted, they will stop participating in daily life activities and in activities that once used to be very joyful. Many even have a hard time even getting out of the bed, and when they do get out of the bed they just can’t do anything, because they feel too tired to do anything at all.
This constant fatigue, lack of energy, and tiredness will isolate them, which will make them feel even more tired and even more depressed. This is a circle from which it’s hard to escape. Fatigue will affect a depressed person both physically and emotionally.
Sign of Depression #10: Weight Loss / Gain
Appetite changes are a common sign of depression, either eating too much or eating too little. In cases when a person eats too much because he/she feels depressed, then it’s normal to start gaining weight. On the other hand, if a person eats less than normal, weight loss will occur.
In early stages of depression, it is more likely to have problems with overeating, while in cases of severe depression it is more likely to have a loss of appetite as a depressed person is no longer concerned about his/her well-being.
