Any one of these things is enough to bring on the blues. Face it, life is a roller coaster of emotions. Unfortunately, we all encounter sad emotions at times. It’s perfectly normal to feel down in the dumps during the tough times.
However, there are also times when sadness is unexplained and persistent. Depression is a condition that can affect anyone at any time, and many people may experience a bout of depression once in their lives but never again, while many others will have repeated episodes of depression that require medical intervention to control.
Now the tricky part of depression is that it may be difficult to distinguish from normal everyday sadness or mood swings. A couple of days of feeling blue might not qualify as depression, but then again, it might. Understanding the symptoms of depression may help you determine whether you are simply “in a funk” or suffering from this condition.
10 Signs You Could Be Depressed
When evaluating your experience and trying to determine if what you are experiencing is depression, consider the following symptoms. If you believe you are suffering from these symptoms, you may want to talk to your healthcare provider for guidance on how to treat or manage your condition.
- Feelings, Something More Than Feelings: If you feel sad, empty or anxious for a prolonged period of time, you may be suffering from depression. If your feelings fluctuate or seem to last only for a day at a time with extended periods of relief between episodes, mood swings could be to blame. However, if you have any concerns about your mental health at any time, it never hurts to contact your doctor or therapist to discuss your experiences.
- Running on Empty: If you feel like you’ve lost energy, feel fatigued or sluggish along with your feelings of sadness or emptiness, you may be experiencing a bout of depression. People who are depressed often experience a lack of motivation and feel physically exhausted.
- Guilty as Charged: Depression is often accompanied by a sense of helplessness, worthlessness or guilt. You may feel like your life is out of your control, and you are not deserving of happiness and love. These are false and unhealthy feelings and signs that you are suffering from depression.
- Sleepless in Seattle: If insomnia accompanies sad feelings, an inability to stay asleep or a need for an extreme amount of sleep, these could be signs that you’re suffering from depression. Sleep deprivation is especially dangerous because it may exacerbate feelings of anxiety or worthlessness. If you are having difficulties sleeping, you may want to consult your healthcare provider.
- The Hurting Kind: Depression can sometimes be accompanied by headaches, unexplained pain in other areas of the body or digestive problems. When this pain is persistent and does not respond to typically effective treatments, it might be a sign that you are in a depressive state.
- Restless Heart: If you feel restless and irritable, as if nothing pleases you or you can’t find peace in anything you attempt to do, you should evaluate your other symptoms and consider depression as the culprit. Restlessness and irritability are both symptoms commonly associated with depression.
- What’s Really Eating You: The way in which depression affects a person’s eating habits can vary greatly. Some people overeat and gain weight when they’re depressed, while others may lose their appetite and lose weight. Either extreme can be a sign of depression.
- Person of Disinterest: If you’re depressed and feeling hopeless, sad, exhausted and unwell, it makes sense that you’d lose interest in your favorite hobbies and activities. However, this lack of interest in things you previously enjoyed is a sign that you may need professional help getting your life back on track. Some people lose interest in sex, and others stop exercising even though they enjoy it. Still others abandon their social lives.
- Drawing a Blank?: If you’ve noticed that your other symptoms are accompanied by memory loss, lack of concentration, or inability to focus or make decisions, this is another sign of depression. Many people who suffer from this condition find that their cognitive abilities diminish while they are in a depressed state.
- A Matter of Life & Death: This is likely the most severe and the most dangerous symptom of depression, and if you are having thoughts of harming yourself, you should seek immediate medical help. There is no time to wait when this symptom presents itself -- you are in danger. Talk to a family member or friend if you need assistance finding the appropriate professional to discuss your symptoms with, but do not wait to seek help.
If you believe you are experiencing any signs discussed in this article or have other concerns about your mental health, seek professional medical or psychological intervention to manage depression. Once your doctor officially diagnoses you with depression, he or she will work with you to find appropriate treatment measures to control symptoms and work through any underlying issues that may escalate your condition. There are many effective prescription medications that are successful in diminishing or eliminating depression side effects, and psychological counseling is another type of treatment often incorporated into the patient’s care plan. Dietary changes and an exercise regimen are also often helpful in staving off repeat episodes and keeping the individual healthy and happy.
If you believe you are suffering from depression, don’t hesitate to contact your healthcare provider for help. Sometimes making that first step is exactly what you need to change your condition and your life forever. Don’t wait it out or assume that you are overreacting. Your doctor or therapist can help you decide what the best course of action is for you to regain your life.
Come in out of the dark.