Beware Of These Signs And Symptoms Of Depression!

Introduction

Feelings like sadness, loneliness and bouts of dejection can affect you every now and then. Most often, these are only temporary reactions to having low self-esteem, dealing with a loss or the daily struggles of life. However, if these feelings become too overwhelming and persistent, lasting for days, weeks or months on end, then chances are that you are going through depression.

What are The Behavioural & Mental Signs of Depression?

• Feelings of Hopelessness –  You have a helpless or hopeless outlook towards life.
• Loss of Interest –  A loss of interest or withdrawal from activities that you once loved – hobbies, socializing, sports.
• Inattentiveness –  You have trouble concentrating.
• Irritability –  Men, in particular, have symptoms of irritability when they are depressed.
• Suicidal tendency –  You have disturbing thoughts of suicide and death. An estimated 60% of people committing suicides show signs of depression at some point in life.

What are the Physical Symptoms of Depression?

• Persistent Fatigue or Lethargy –  Your energy levels are always low.
• Muscle Aches and Headaches –  Pain can flare up in your joints and muscles. Chronic headaches and migraines are, frequent as well.
• Sleep Problems –  Insomnia is a symptom of depression. Moreover, you will have a poor quality of sleep.
• Changes in Weight and Appetite –  Appetite and weight can fluctuate for people living with depression. Some people eat a lot and gain plenty of weight. Others don’t eat much and therefore, lose weight rapidly.
• Digestive Problems –  Researchers say that depression can cause stomach cramps, nausea and bloating.

What are the Symptoms of Depression in Children & Teens?

Does depression affect young people as well? Yes, depression affects teens and children as much as it affects adults.

When children suffer from depression, it becomes harder for them to make an effort or even engage in daily activities. They may feel rejected, unloved and worthless. The longer it persists, the more dangerous it becomes.

Emotional Symptoms

• Persistent feelings of sadness, possibly involving crying spells without an apparent cause.
• Feelings of anger and frustration over trivial matters.
• Feelings of emptiness and hopelessness.
• Irritability.
• Lack of interest in pleasurable activities.
• Conflict with peers, friends and family.
• Low self-esteem.
• A strong feeling of guilt or worthlessness.
• A tendency to stay fixated on past failures.
• Being extremely critical of oneself.
• Sensitivity to failure or rejection and the constant need for reassurance.
• Difficulty concentrating, memorizing and making decisions.
• Recurrent or frequent thoughts of self-harm, suicide or death.

Behavioural Symptoms

• Lethargy and exhaustion.
• Sleep problems – sleeping too much or too little, insomnia.
• Changes in appetite – a sudden decrease in appetite leading to unexplained weight loss or excessive cravings and overeating resulting in weight gain.
• Use of drugs or alcohol.
• Restlessness or agitation – for example, hand-wringing or pacing.
• Slowed movement and speech.
• Social isolation.
• Frequent headaches and body aches.
• Poor academic performance.
• Less attention to appearance or personal hygiene.
• Angry outbursts and risky or disruptive behaviour.
• The tendency to inflict pain upon oneself – for example, burning, cutting, excessive tattooing or piercing.

Depressive symptoms, particularly in teens and kids, may vary based on the severity of the condition.

How to Be Sure If You Have Depression?

Feelings of despair are very normal, even as you go through the tough patches of life. Therefore, it may be hard to tell if you have depression. For example, in teens, an angry or irritable mood might appear as an attitude problem; lack of interest and low energy can be confused with laziness.

As depression is hard to detect, your best bet is to consult a doctor at the earliest.

Energy reduction can be a symptom of depression, however some times anemia will cause both depression and excessive fatigability. So getting treated for anemia is very important before treating depression

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD(Pediatrics)

How is Depression Diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will most likely ask you questions regarding the symptoms – how long have they been present, how severe do they get, etc. A doctor may also perform a thorough examination to check for physical symptoms, and conduct a blood test to dismiss other medical conditions. Apart from this, the following tests may be used to diagnose depression –

• The Beck Depression Inventory
• The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale

These tests are designed in the pattern of a questionnaire that helps to evaluate the severity of depression. The higher you score, the more serious the condition.

Perinatal depression is depression that happens during pregnancy or in the first year after having a baby. It’s one of the most common medical complications of pregnancy. Seeking medical assistance is very crucial if you encounter this situation.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D. in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology

How Can You Treat Depression?

Depression can be challenging to deal with, but treatment can help improve the quality of your life.

The treatment options include –

• Medications: Anti-anxiety, antipsychotics and antidepressants can ease the symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
• Psychotherapy: Talking to a therapist may help you learn skills to deal with negative thoughts and feelings.
• Cognitive-behavioural therapy: Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a part of psychotherapy. The therapy involves interacting closely with the patient and focuses on problem-solving. CBT aims to identify distorted thought patterns and change a person’s thinking and behaviour.
• Other treatment options are: yoga, meditation and exercise. They can help you de-stress and improve your mood.

When to See a Doctor?

If signs and symptoms of depression impede your routine activities or think about harming yourself, then you should consult a doctor.

You have a severe case of depression when symptoms intensify with time and continue for over six months. During this phase, a person may experience hallucinations, delusions or suicidal thoughts.

Clinical depression affects millions of people globally. However, there are various treatment options available, ranging from anti-depressive medications to lifestyle changes and therapy. Whichever path you choose, the first step to getting your life back on track is to seek professional help and support from the people you trust.

Ways You Can Help Yourself Through Depression

1. Identify and Accept

The first step toward fighting depression is identifying and accepting that you may be dealing with it. Be kind towards your mental health and the emotions underlying your mental state. The key to helping yourself through this state is firstly identifying where you stand and then treating yourself with love, empathy and compassion.  

2. Don’t Bottle It Up  

Suppressed emotions are feelings that are waiting to explode and the explosion can only deteriorate your present state of mind. It is important to talk about your feelings and things that are important to you and unburden yourself. Emotions that are bottled up for too long reappear as negative outcomes in your life.  

When you refrain from letting out your feelings, you are blocking your own happiness and stopping yourself from feeling liberated. Suppressed emotions are just negative emotions that you are holding on to and negativity only pulls you down.

3. This Too Shall Pass

Understand and accept that your present state won’t always be your current state. It gets difficult to believe in ”better days are coming” when there is no indication of it in front of you but it is important to remember that while there are days that cause you emotional damage, there will also be days that are going to uplift you. Give yourself the time to cope with grief but keep reminding yourself that tomorrow brings with it a fresh start.  

4. Talk Yourself Up  

You are your biggest supporter and if you aren’t kind to yourself, who will be? The irrational voice laced with depression inside our heads is always negative. This voice is the part of you that will suggest you to follow through with things that will cause you harm and sadness to those around you. Listen to the kinder and optimistic voice in you that knows that bad phases are a part of life. Now read it again, bad ”phase” and like most other phases this will pass too. This is the voice you need to listen to. This is the voice that tells you that motivates you to never give up, it tells you that you are worth it and everything will fall into place.  

5. Make Efforts  

Depression causes us to give up on a lot of things that matter to us and makes us forget who we were before the negativity hit us. It demotivates us and takes us to a dark place where we forget to enjoy the little pleasures of life. It makes us recognize only the negative aspects while completely overlooking the positive bits. Make genuine efforts to get out of bed and do something that makes YOU happy! Even if it’s as small as treating yourself to something you enjoy, spending time in nature or listening to your favourite tracks. Make an effort to daily do something that reminds you of the joys you’ve been missing out on. A small step can make a huge difference.  

6. Spend Time With Friends and Family

Apart from ourselves, our loved ones act as our biggest pillars of strength. On the days when you feel down, they are there to cheer you up and remind you that you matter. Spend time with them and talk to them. Talk to them about your emotions and the problems you are facing and if that is something you don’t want to dive into straight away then have conversations that distract you from the negativity inside your head. And when you do that, you will immediately know that there are people who love you, care for you deeply and will hold your hand through the bad times.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

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