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Maybe you have been down lately; maybe more than just lately. You feel sluggish, as if life just is going nowhere, and you are beginning to wonder if there is any pleasure to be had in life at all.
Maybe you have been having mood swings, appetite changes or just general fatigue and are wondering when you will ever feel like yourself again. If you have experienced any of these symptoms of depression for more than just a couple of weeks, you may be suffering from depression and you should have yourself checked out.
Depression is an all too common illness that people suffer with unnecessarily. Because of the social stigma that used to be associated with depression, many men , women and even children dealt with the sadness without any help or reprieve. Now that depression is understood to be a medical condition that strikes nearly a quarter of all people at some point, it is easy to be diagnosed and treated. It is important to know the warning signs of depression for yourself or someone who may be suffering from this disease.
Top Nine
There are a number of depression symptoms and not everyone has all of them at the same time. Having more than a few of them for two weeks or more can be a sign that you are depressed and should seek help, especially if they are unattributed to medication, substance abuse or illness.
- Low Mood – when you feel low, sad, empty, are easily brought to tears and experience frequent periods of irritability
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Decrease in Pleasure (Anhedonia) – when you have lost most or all interest in activities you enjoy, even routine activities that you looked forward to
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Weight Changes – major fluctuations in weight (loss or gain) without actually attempting to make the change, typically a change of 5%
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Sleep Changes – insomnia (the inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (too much sleep)
- Motor Problems – you may feel physically agitated and restless or slowed down in motion
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Fatigue – a general loss of energy or feeling like you are drained
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Worthlessness/Guilt – you may feel worthless or guilty about things that are outside of your control
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Foggy Headed – your ability to think seems decreased or your thinking seems clouded and you are unable to make any decisions
- Deadly Thoughts – you may have recurrent thoughts of death or vague thoughts of suicide
The Illness
Most people do not realize that depression is a disease and depression symptoms are to be taken as seriously as those of any other illness. Depression is an illness that affects the body as much as the mind and it is not something that can be cured easily, sometimes not at all.
Treating depression symptoms like any other disease’s makes it much easier to understand and to treat because people actively seek diagnosis and help. Seeking help for depression is the first, and most important, step to treating and recovering from the illness. You can rest assured that your problem is not a sign of any weakness on your part or something that you need to be ashamed of and hide.
Why It Is
There is no one reason for depression. In some cases depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain which can easily be treated. Such individuals are able to lead healthy, productive lives and need little therapy coupled with their medication. In some cases depression symptoms arise after a traumatic event like a loss of a loved one or major illness.
Many people who experience this type of depression need various types of talk therapy to deal with their problem as well as medication to begin to recover. Still in other cases there is no clear reason for the existence of depression but it is there. This is usually found in people who have serious symptoms of depression. They require a considerable amount of therapy and typically are on long term medication.
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