Depression is often thought of as simply feeling sad. Someone may say they’re feeling “depressed” after having a bad day at work or watching a melancholy movie. The truth is that there’s much more to depression than just feeling down. Whereas typical sadness is situational and often goes away on its own, depression is chronic and persists even when external circumstances improve.
Though most individuals with depression first begin experiencing symptoms in adolescence or early adulthood, onset can occur at any age. Sometimes onset can be triggered by a life change, traumatic events or even extreme stress; often, however, it seems to appear for no reason. 6.7% of the US population suffers from depression. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to have the disorder.
Signs and symptoms of depression vary wildly from person to person. Two people may both have depression but have hardly any symptoms in common. For this reason, it’s important to be familiar with all the possible symptoms. Below are the ten most common signs of depression and how to identify them.
1. Anxiety
When faced with a new, unusual or important situation, we feel fearful of the unknown. Fear causes the brain to initiate a “fight or flight” response – a rapid release of adrenaline that causes elevated heart rate, rapid shallow breathing and shaking, among other symptoms. This is a normal physiological response to danger that is found not just in humans but in many other animals as well.
In individuals with depression, fear can be misplaced. When this happens, it becomes anxiety. For example, a walk to the store to buy bread is not a life-endangering task that carries a threat of imminent harm. But depression can cause the brain to believe that it is. The thought of walking to the store activates the brain’s fear response. To an outside observer, it can seem like an overreaction to a mundane situation. But to the individual, it feels out of control, and harm seems inevitable. Thoughts race, perspiration increases and restlessness takes over. True to the term “fight or flight”, the individual may become defensive and irritable or feel an urge to run away, physically or mentally, from the situation.
2. Insomnia
One of the early signs of depression is a change in sleep habits. This most commonly manifests in the form of insomnia – difficulty falling or staying asleep. Often, a depressed individual may fall asleep with no problems but wake up too soon and be unable to return to sleep. Or a person may feel physically tired but be unable to fall asleep even after hours spent trying. This may be attributable to mental fixation on anxious or negative thoughts, or it may seem to have no cause at all.
Conversely, hypersomnia can also occur. This is an excess of sleep, or inability to wake up from sleep. Someone with depression may feel overly tired all the time, and sleep for long periods as a result of low energy levels.
3. Fatigue
It’s normal to feel tired and listless after a long day or poor quality sleep. But for depressed individuals, the feeling of fatigue may persist no matter the circumstances. Tasks that once seemed automatic, such as showering or getting dressed, may suddenly be physically exhausting to accomplish. Initially this symptom is often interpreted as a sign of an illness such as the flu or a cold, especially if other physical symptoms are present. But fatigue is one of the most prevalent symptoms of depression. If it persists or is accompanied by the other symptoms on this list, a mental health practitioner should be consulted.
4. Loss of Appetite
When someone is depressed, their lack of energy and focus can make it difficult to eat consistently. Others may not feel hungry as often or even at all. Food may cause nausea and discomfort, or it may simply taste bland and unpleasant all of a sudden. In some cases, the person may feel as if they don’t deserve to eat regularly, depriving their body of food as a form of self-harm. They may begin losing weight unintentionally and at an unhealthy rate. Loss of appetite can quickly lead to malnutrition and other health problems, so this symptom must be taken seriously.
Like insomnia, this symptom may also appear in its inverse form, especially in adolescents. A suddenly insatiable appetite, excessive eating or rapid weight gain may also signify the onset of depression.
5. Irritability
This sign is most often seen in children, adolescents and young adults, though it can present at any age. Rather than (or in addition to) sadness and despair, a depressed individual may feel highly irritable and short-tempered. This can seem like a sudden, inexplicable personality change – things that once made one smile may now cause annoyance.
Often the person will recognize that they are being irritable and irrational but be unable to control their emotions. This can lead into a cycle where the individual then becomes irritated by their inability to calm down. Depressed children and adolescents are especially prone to irritability as they are still undergoing emotional development and are generally less able to control their emotions than adults.
6. Lack of Concentration
This is often one of the most noticeable signs of depression due to its immediate external effects. A depressed person may begin doing poorly on schoolwork and tests out of the blue, handing in incomplete or disjointed work. Other times, one’s work supervisor may comment on decreased performance or low-quality output.
In the individual’s head, lack of concentration feels impossible to overcome. No amount of effort seems to help achieve focus. Racing thoughts may be present, or it may feel like the mind has gone blank when attempting to concentrate on something. Extended periods of “spacing out” may occur more frequently than they used to.
7. Mood Swings
Most people experience changes in mood throughout the day as they react to different events and environments. In those with depression, however, mood swings tend to seem inappropriate or disproportionate to the situation. A person who seemed calm a moment prior may suddenly feel angry or sad for seemingly no reason. They may then return to their prior state unexpectedly, almost as if their mood had never changed at all.
Other times, a person’s mood may change in response to a scenario, but the expression may seem excessive to an outside observer. For example, someone may begin crying in the grocery store upon seeing that their favorite cereal is out of stock. Negative emotions seem amplified and minor everyday setbacks can seem insurmountable.
8. Apathy
While some depressed individuals experience intense, volatile moods, others experience the opposite. All emotions, positive or negative, feel dulled or even nonexistent. Instead, the predominant state is one of apathy. The person may find that songs or movies that used to evoke strong feelings now elicit no emotional response. Activities that formerly brought joy seem pointless and boring.
The apathetic individual may stop caring about the cleanliness of their home, their personal hygiene and even their family, friends and pets. Recurring thoughts of “what’s the point?” and “who cares?” are common. It may seem like suddenly there is nothing to look forward to, because nothing is exciting anymore.
9. Sadness
Sadness is a part of life for everyone, but in the context of depression, it can seem especially inescapable and intense. The most innocuous occurrences can bring on bouts of despondence as the mind departs from the original stressor and spirals down through increasingly negative thoughts and memories. During these spells, the person may appear inconsolable, sobbing and unable to speak coherently.
Alternatively, the sad feeling may be constantly present, even if only in low levels. The individual may cry often, and may be unable to identify a reason for their tears. Any happy emotions are immediately muddied by the undercurrent of sadness that persists throughout the day. Life may feel hopeless, as if the individual will never feel truly happy again.
10. General Discontent
One of the most frustrating aspects of depression is the state of general discontent. The depressed individual may not feel actively sad or angry, but they don’t feel any sort of happiness or satisfaction either. They attempt to pinpoint a cause for this state but can’t.
Intense feelings of guilt may occur as the individual engages in self-criticism attempting to figure out why they aren’t happy. They may feel that they don’t have the right to feel this way when other people have it so much worse. This then begets more negative emotions and traps the person in a cycle of self-hatred.
Unlike with other states of discontent, depressed discontent invokes no amount of motivation for change or excitement for a better future. Rather, it feels like the only option is resignation to a dull, unfulfilled life. Then the slide down the slippery slope of hopelessness begins.
