How to Recognize the symptoms for Depression | What are the steps to be taken to over come the problem of Depression
1. Depressed Mood
A person may report feeling “sad” or “empty” or may cry frequently. Children and adolescents may exhibit irritability.
2. Decreased Interest or Pleasure for any kind of work
You might no longer bother with hobbies that you used to love. You might not like being around friends. You might lose interest in sex.
A person may show markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, daily activities.
3. Weight Changes and Fatigue due to depression
Significant changes in weight when not attempting to gain or lose (a gain or loss of 5% or more in a month) may be indicative of depression.
Deep fatigue or a loss of energy is a symptom of depression.
4. Sleep Disturbances (not able to sleep properly at sleeping hours)
Insomnia or sleeping too much may be a symptom of depression.
5. Psychomotor Agitation or Retardation
Swinging emotions as well as sudden changes from tiredness and lack of movement to agitation and rush.
The person may be observed to be either agitated and restless or physically slowed down in their movements.
6. Feelings of Worthlessness or Guilt
These feelings are often exaggerated or inappropriate to the situation. You might feel guilty for things that aren’t your fault or that you have no control over. Or you may feel intense guilt for minor mistakes.
7. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day
Inability to concentrate or attempts to concentrate on too many things, being at the same time unable to finish all of them properly. Attempts to complete many tasks at the same time.
Consequences from unwillingness to do anything lead to the thoughts like “I don’t want and can’t do anything, I do everything wrong, I am a burden to everyone” etc. These thoughts bore sense of guilt for everybody and lack of confidence which make original depressive feelings worse.
8. Thoughts of death and suicide
It can be not even a real suicide planning, but playing and experiencing a ‘movie’ in the mind of how will it be to commit suicide. However planning, attempting and committing suicide is a way for patients to free themselves from suffering on critical stage of depression.
The good news is that depression is a treatable condition that responds to a variety of treatments.