9 Proven Signs and Symptoms of Depression

Depression is the most severe but frequent mental disorder. According to the World Health Organization, over 280 million people of all ages are affected worldwide, with women being likely to be affected twice as it as to affect males.

Whereas, you may experience a single episode of depression, there are also chances you may have multiple episodes of depression. All these may affect the way you feel, think, and even interfere with how you carry out your daily activities like working, sleeping, moving, talking, or eating.

Differentiating depression from sadness that you often feel is crucial towards healing process. Depression is characterized by persistent feeling of fatigue, irritability, hopelessness, or emptiness.

To learn more about depression signs, this article discusses nine warning signs of depression to watch out for before seeing a mental doctor. But before that, let’s look at:

What is Depression?

Depression is a mental illness marked by a loss of desire, sadness, weariness, and an inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities.

It affects your mental and physical functioning in a way that you becomes unable to experience or expect pleasures.

There is no primary cause or factor for depression, but various reasons can cause depression. For some people, it may be a combination of various reasons, while others may be a single or no factor.

Depression may occurs if you’ve had difficult childhood experiences, such as sexual emotional or physical abuse, you’ve lost a loved one, illness, drug abuse or it may be from a a person in your (family history).
If you’ve been experiencing some of the following signs and symptoms for at least two weeks, almost every day, you may be depressed:

1. Changes in Appetite and Weight

You may experience fluctuation in weight and appetite when depressed. The changes may differ from one person to the next. For instance, your appetite may increase, causing you to eat more and gain more weight, while the other person may have a decreased appetite that will reduce their eating habits, hence causing a weight reduction.

2. Fatigue and Lack of Energy

Food is crucial to your body because it gives you energy and strengthens you. Depression may cause fatigue and decreased energy by causing fluctuation in appetite to eat, and when you don’t eat, the energy level reduces, making your body weak.

3. Difficulty in Concentrating and Thinking

One of the most difficult aspects of depression is the inability to concentrate. It interferes with the goals you think are worth achieving by making you feel unworthy, hopeless, or pessimistic.

For instance, there is a time I could not study or remember to do my assignments. It went on for some time, and in the end, I failed my final exam, which was very important in achieving my goal.

4. Loss of Interest or Pleasure

It is good sometimes to spend time alone by taking a break from social gatherings. But when it turns into isolating yourself, then it becomes an issue to address.
Depression may make you lose interest in the activities you once loved to do. Activities like sports, hanging out with friends and family, or decreased sexual desire.

5. Sleep Disturbances

When depressed, it means that your mental and physical body is affected negatively. Because of these effects, the body becomes weak and tired which, later affects how you sleep.
You either oversleep or do not sleep at all as a result of fatigue caused by depression.

6. Body Pain

Pain that increases when the stress arises may be a sign of depression. Pain such as; aches and pains, cramps, headache, or stomach pain without an apparent cause that does not ease even with treatment are some of the pain one feels when depressed.

7. Suicidal Thoughts

Depression may cause frequent thoughts of suicide or suicidal attempts. Before a person commits suicide, they show the signs first. For instance, the person may talk about it more frequently.

I remember the day that I was in the house alone. Suddenly I felt hopeless, angry, and unworthy. Then I heard a voice from within telling me to kill every person who has ever caused me pain and kill myself after killing them.

That was the time I realized I need help urgently. I called my best friend to ask for professional assistance. He came and stayed with me until when 911 people he had called arrived. They took me to a psychiatrist who helped me to recover.
Thanks to him. I am here today talking to you through this article

8. Depressed mood

A depressed mood is when you are sad or at your lowest moment. When depressed, you may feel sad, tearful, hopeless, and helpless, with no apparent cause.

9. Irritability and Uncontrollable Emotions

Depression may make you feel angry and frustrated easily over minor matters. It happens more especially to men. Uncontrollable manifests when your emotions are up and down at a moment’s notice.
One minute it’s an outburst of frustration. The next minute you are happy with no apparent cause of those changes.

Symptoms of Depression in Children and Teenagers

Apart from the above symptoms, children and teenagers may have other symptoms that are:

• Refusing to go to school
• underweight
• poor performance at school
• fear and worry
• clinginess
• feeling misunderstood
• use of drugs and alcohol
• withdrawing from social
• anxiety

Who is at A Higher Risk of Depression?

Even though everyone may experience depression, including adolescents, children with untreatable illnesses face more challenges than their healthy peers. Depression is more common among people with the following chronic illness:

• Coronary heart diseases
• Epilepsy
• Cancer
• HIV/AIDS
• Stroke
• Hypothyroidism
• Multiple sclerosis

Conclusion

If you or your friend or relative has experiencedb these signs and symptoms for more than two weeks, start by seeking professional help from your doctor specialized in mental health conditions.
Medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two can be used to treat depression. The earlier a patient receives treatment, the more beneficial it will be.