Symptoms of Depression

The diagnosis of clinical depression should be based on the patient's own experiences as reported by them, backed up by a Q&A session carried out by a qualified mental health professional. There is no recognized laboratory test for depression, although in most cases, medical practitioners will test any accompanying physical symptoms in order to rule out any physical reasons for them.

Common symptoms include:

Headache

Headache is known to be а very common symptom in depressed people. Some people experience а mild headache, while others have а far more severe one. It is also observed that the severity of the headache increases, if the person has had migraine attacks in the past.

Chest and back Pain

With depression it is very common to feel pain in the chest, and while researchers have found а link between depression and heart disease, it is most likely to be muscle related or gastro intestinal in nature. A person feeling depressed can also experience pain in the lower back, neck, or in other joints and muscles of the body. If they have а history of back pain, it is quite likely that the problem will be aggravated by depression, giving rise to acute back pain.

Change in appetite and weight

A major change in appetite is a usual symptom of depression. Some people start eating excessively leading to weight gain, while others can hardly eat at all leading to weight loss.

Disturbances in sleep patterns

It is normal with depression for a person to experience insomnia. People can lay awake for hours without sleeping, or sometimes wake up during the night and have difficulty falling asleep again. While this can happen to anyone from time to time, a depressed person will experience this on a regular basis.

Conversely, depression can also cause some people to sleep most of the time (hypersomnia).

Digestive problems and nausea

Depression has been known to cause indigestion, difficulty in urinating, nausea, chronic constipation and diarrhea. It has also been found that there is а connection between irritable bowel syndrome and depression.

Exhaustion and fatigue

People with depression are known to feel exhausted, even after doing simple or small tasks. The fatigue and weakness can be so severe, that the effects can still be felt even after a long rest or sleep.

Loss of interest in sex

It is commonly seen that people with depression lose interest in sexual activity, and sometimes experience episodes of impotence.

Morning sadness

According to medical sources, feeling particularly sad in the morning is a sign that you may have depression. Feeling sad all day is also part of depression, but morning sadness that makes you just want to stay in or go back to bed, is particularly likely to be connected with depression.

Anger

Many people don't realize that recent research points to a connection between anger and depression. Blowing up and yelling at people without being able to control it may signify a depressed state of mind.

Irritability

Slightly different from anger, irritability is more about feeling snappish or easily frustrated and/or annoyed than angry blow-ups. Irritability connected to depression may make you feel particularly on edge most of the time.

Feeling overwhelmed

Depression can make you feel overwhelmed and over-stressed even when your schedule is not terribly demanding. Even a request for you to do something simple may send you over the edge and make you feel extremely stressed.

Feeling Inadequate

People with depression may constantly compare themselves to others. As noted above, a ‘not too demanding’ schedule may seem overwhelming to a depressed person, thus making them feel inadequate because they can't handle a schedule that others seem to handle fine.

Lack of interest in things

A common symptom of depression is the loss of interest in things that once held an appeal, and the person looked forward to doing.

Indecision

Depression can make you feel like you can't make a decision, even simple ones. This happens to everyone at times, but if this is a chronic problem or you just can't seem to get a handle on your schedule then depression may be the reason.

Inability to Concentrate

Depressed people often have trouble concentrating and focusing. Their mind may wander, and they may feel like they just can't get it together.

Suicidal Thoughts

This is the most apparent sign of serious depression. Such people often talk about hopelessness, killing themselves, or harming themselves in some way. Such а condition arises when the person feels helpless, but actually most of the people in such а state do not want to die but they desperately want to get rid of their pain.

Other symptoms that may present themselves:

• Feelings of unbounded pessimism or hopelessness.
• A persistent anxious, sad, or somehow 'empty' mood.
• Consistent feelings of worthlessness and a lack of personal value.
• An inability to remember things.
• Unexplained crying spells.

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