There are so many different signs of depression which means it sometimes continues until the indications form a pattern. But the sooner you recognize depression in yourself or someone else, the sooner you can get treatment. Depression needs to be treated whether it’s mild or severe or anything in between the extremes. Depression doesn’t disappear on its own and will only get worse.
There are some basic and common signs of depression. They include the following.
• No feelings of self worth or low self esteem
• Doesn’t like to be around other people which can include family
• Doesn’t anticipate doing anything including enjoyable events
• Lack of concentration
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feeling sad all the time
• Suicidal thoughts
• Inability to make any decisions
• Doesn’t like to be around other people which can include family
• Doesn’t anticipate doing anything including enjoyable events
• Lack of concentration
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feeling sad all the time
• Suicidal thoughts
• Inability to make any decisions
A person can have one or more of these signs of depression. It’s natural to feel sad for a few days or to have stressful days. It’s normal to have some days when life may seem a little harder than you think it should be. Depression is something entirely different. It’s not natural to feel you are worthless or that people in your life wouldn’t miss you if you were to disappear. It’s not normal to be sad for longer than two weeks while continuing to experience constant fatigue and lack of interest in anything around you.
The signs of depression can be very noticeable in many cases. Someone who is depressed may cry a lot for no apparent reason. In severe cases, a person may refuse to get out of bed. In milder cases, the person might be unable to make the simplest decision or constantly feels guilty about something. People with depression can have trouble functioning at work or at home.
Other signs of depression may not be severe and are harder to identify. For example, you can experience depression triggered by an event such as a death in the family or loss of a job. It can be a real shock and not everyone is able to adjust well. You might still appear to function normally but the signs of depression are there. You might cry at the most unexpected times or begin a spiral into despondency that makes you unable to function eventually.
On the other hand, bipolar disorder has very obvious symptoms. While in a euphoric state, bizarre behavior such as making obviously foolish and harmful decision becomes apparent. While in a depressed state, the person feels hopeless and all the frenetic activity stops. This happens over and over again and can even happen within a day.
The key to identifying if someone is depressed is to watch for patterns or continual worsening of suspect symptoms. If this goes on for longer than 2 weeks, you should get professional help for you or your friend or family member.