The Importance of Knowing the Signs and Symptoms of Depression

Some days you can find yourself going through a tough time and wrestle with naming what’s happening to you. If you’re struggling with something and not feeling like yourself, it can affect everything around you, from your relationships to your work, and even your enjoyment of everyday activities. It can even mean not showing up for others and yourself the way you’d want to. Being able to identify symptoms of depression helps you to address it effectively.

An experience that’s common to many Americans of every age and from every walk of life is depression. Depression is a mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of loss, sadness, and numbness to things that used to bring joy like hobbies or being with loved ones. Depression is more than just a bout of sadness; it affects how a person feels, thinks, and behaves. As a result, it can lead to having trouble with doing day-to-day tasks and enjoying life.

Depression can also leave you feeling as though life isn’t worth living, and it’s not something that you simply “snap out” of or “get over”. If this is something that a loved one or you’re going through, it’s important to be able to recognize the signs of it, so that you can find the appropriate help.

Symptoms of depression

It isn’t being too dramatic to say that knowing what the signs and symptoms of depression are can be a life-or-death matter. Some of the symptoms of depression are so serious that they are life-threatening, and recognizing what’s going on, and then proceeding to take appropriate action is invaluable. If you see these signs and symptoms in yourself or a loved one, go to a health professional such as a doctor or a counselor to get help.

The signs and symptoms of depression can be multifaceted, and they also vary widely between different people. Some people, when they are depressed, may feel sad, or hopeless, and they may lose interest in things they used to take pleasure in. Other people will bury themselves in work or become more irritable. It’s noteworthy that there is a broad range of symptoms of depression, so it’s important to look out for different signs.

Many people will have at least one depressive episode in their lives, while there are some that will have several episodes throughout their lives. Amid those episodes of depression, the following signs will be present for most of the day, and nearly every day for at least two weeks. These signs may include the following:

• Impairment of movement and speech, resulting in moving or speaking more slowly than usual.
• Experiencing changes in appetite or weight, which may result in eating too little or too much. In turn, that may result in unplanned weight gain or loss
• Having unexplained aches and pains such as backaches, stomach aches, or digestive issues. These don’t seem to have a specified cause, and don’t respond to the typical treatment
• Fatigue and a general lack of energy, which makes even small tasks difficult.
• Changes in sleep patterns, such as struggling to fall or stay asleep, as well as sleeping too much.
• Loss of libido or reduced sex drive.
• Feeling persistently sad, tearful, empty, helpless, or hopeless.
• Low self-esteem.
• Negative self-talk, such as overly critical thoughts.
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, self-blame, and fixating on past mistakes.
• Being irritable, frustrated, and having angry outbursts over small things.
• Losing interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities that used to be pleasurable, such as sex, hobbies, time with friends, or sports.
• Lacking motivation to do things.
• Use of alcohol or drugs to help cope with negative feelings.
• Having difficulty making decisions and being decisive when it wasn’t an issue before.
• Feeling anxious, agitated, or worried without a clear cause.
• Having frequent or recurring thoughts of death, having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself, and making suicide attempts.
• Slowed thought, and struggling to concentrate or remember things.

It is important to note that depression may look different according to one’s age. For instance, in teens, signs of depression may include anger, sadness, poor attendance or poor performance at school, being irritable, eating or sleeping too much, feeling bad and worthless, avoiding social interaction, feeling misunderstood and being extremely sensitive, using recreational drugs or alcohol, self-harm, and loss of interest in normal activities.

In younger children, the symptoms of depression may include aches and pains, clinginess, sadness, irritability, worry, being underweight, or refusing to go to school.

For much older people, the signs of depression may go unnoticed and be attributed to simply getting older. This can lead to the depression being undiagnosed and untreated. Signs to look out for in older adults include physical aches or pains, loss of interest in sex, difficulty remembering things, not wanting to socialize and try new things, personality changes, being fatigued, a loss of appetite, having sleep problems, and suicidal thoughts or feelings.

When these symptoms persist for at least two weeks and are significant enough that they begin to interfere with your work, social life, and family life, you may likely be diagnosed with depression. It’s important to see a doctor or another health professional such as a counselor so that you can receive a proper diagnosis. Sometimes, there are other medical conditions such as having a thyroid condition which can result in symptoms similar to depression.

Similarly, some medications can result in depression-like symptoms. Going to a doctor will allow these other possible causes to be addressed and eliminated so that the root cause can be discerned and dealt with.

The importance of knowing the signs of depression

It’s possible to be depressed and not know it. Often, people will be on the lookout for well-known symptoms such as sadness or hopelessness. These signs can be easy to recognize, but other signs of depression may be less obvious and that will go under the radar. Not only are there some hidden signs of depression, but there may also be other medical issues that can cause some of the same symptoms as depression.

Knowing the signs of depression is important because seeking treatment for depression is best done sooner rather than later. Depression can lead to serious symptoms such as suicidal ideation, and this needs to be addressed swiftly. It’s possible to jeopardize your health significantly by eating too much or too little, or by getting too little sleep and not exercising.

Depression can negatively affect your relationships, and it’s important to understand why you might be more irritable than usual, withdrawing from your loved ones, or simply not enjoying what you used to. It’s not that you’re sabotaging the relationship or finding it unfulfilling; rather, you have a mood disorder that’s affecting how you experience everything. Loved ones need to understand what’s happening so they can be meaningfully present.

It can be difficult to tell the difference between grief and depression because they have many similarities. Some of the symptoms of grief look like those of depression, such as changes in appetite or withdrawal from social connection. However, grieving is part of the natural process of coping with loss, whereas depression is a mental health disorder.

Knowing the difference between grieving and depression will affect the steps you take to address the situation. Grief will bring feelings of sadness, but these feelings do improve over time and with help such as a support group. However, depression will often require not only talk therapy (psychotherapy), but medication as well. The sooner depression is identified, the sooner that therapy and the journey toward wholeness can begin.

Treatment for symptoms of depression

Depression will often require long-term treatment, and this will include talk therapy, medication, or both. It is also important to get support from loved ones at this time. Finding ways to reduce stress and connect with others will also help in elevating one’s overall sense of well-being. Don’t walk alone when you don’t have to – reach out and speak to someone like a trusted friend or a mental health professional if you suspect you may be feeling depressed.