Source: Times of India - Rejuvenate
Most of us have felt down in the dumps or in a rut from time to time. But depression is more than that—it is a serious medical illness that affects 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. Despite these numbers, it is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Would you recognize serious depression in yourself or a loved one? Here are 15 warning signs to watch for.
Diagnosing Depression
For some people, a dramatic life event like a death in the family or divorce can set off symptoms that are immediate and drastic. For others, depression manifests in slow, subtle ways that are harder for friends to notice — and sometimes even harder to diagnose. Doctors have a set list of specific symptoms, and someone meets the clinical requirements of a major depressive episode if they experience five of those symptoms during a period of two weeks. As you read through these warning signs, if they sound familiar, of if you know someone who has shown signs of a depressed mood or loss of interest, the first move is to see a doctor or qualified therapist for an official diagnosis. Most importantly, if you're personally having thoughts about harming yourself or others, please seek immediate help from a friend and or medical professional.
Get Serious About Depression
Too many people casually toss around the word “depressed.” Whether used to describe yourself, a friend, family member or colleague, it’s an easy way to explain someone’s mood, attitude or behavior. But depression is a serious condition with serious consequences, one with clinical standards for diagnosis and real treatment options. To understand clinical depression and how it affects the mind and body, you need to know the warning signs.
Change in Appetite and Weight
While a reduced appetite is a common symptom of depression, so is an overly active one. Wild swings in hunger, and being consistently hungrier or less hungry than normal can all be signals of major depression. A change in appetite may be difficult to perceive; instead you may notice that you’ve gained or lost weight. If your weight has changed significantly, talk to your doctor.
Low Energy
Lethargy isn’t just “a case of the Mondays.” It’s an overall feeling of low energy, including slowed thinking and even slowed down motion. Feeling sluggish is an early warning sign, and prolonged physical and mental slowness are the systemic clues that the body gives when depression is setting in.
Trouble Focusing
When the body slows down, the effects show in the brain’s processes too. Mental slowdown includes a loss of focus, especially on problems or topics that used to be easy. As depression sets in, people tend to become indecisive and have trouble concentrating on simple tasks. Tasks that were once quick and easy become difficult and frustrating.
Apathy
Loss of interest in activities and topics that you used to enjoy is a classic symptom of depression. It’s normal to wake up tired and unmotivated from time to time, but letting go of a regular fitness routine, skipping book clubs or other hobby meetings that you used to find fun, or ditching classes or work on a consistent basis could indicate depression.
Detaching From Friends
Loss of interest can apply to people as well as activities. When facing depression, people withdraw and turn friends and family members away. Though it may be the most important time to draw on a support system, a bout with depression usually causes people to isolate themselves and deal with the condition alone. That usually makes things even worse.
Sleep
If you’re like most people, chances are you’re not getting enough sleep anyway, so judging “too much” or “too little” sleep might not be easy. Insomnia is more than just a night or two of tossing and turning: those who are depressed spend weeks battling fatigue and low-quality sleep. A sudden increase in sleep or desire to sleep all the time or sleep instead of participating in fun activities is a major tip off that depression is setting in, too.
Detect changes in your sleep patterns
Irritability
Irritability is another warning sign of depression. Especially in typically pleasant people, sudden mood swings aren’t just a result of hormones or “waking up on the wrong side of the bed” — they’re alerts. The tendencies to become agitated with minimal provocation or to become irritable for no reason are both tied closely to clinical depression.
Sadness
Being sad may sound like an obvious sign of depression, but this level of sadness goes beyond the passing feelings that may come throughout the day. In major depression, sadness is a pervasive feeling. It’s extreme, almost inescapable and comes with little explanation. Unprompted crying spells are a key warning of major depression.
Feelings of Worthlessness
Along with extreme sadness can come feelings of worthlessness and helplessness. Depression can cause people to lose hope and even feel that the value of their own life has diminished or disappeared. Things seem unimportant, and yet not good enough. Those who are depressed sometimes feel as if the whole world has lost meaning and find it impossible to control all of the negativity surrounding them, feeling unjustified guilt over uncontrollable issues, from global issues like war and poverty to personal troubles like family issues or being sick.
Suicidal Tendencies
The feeling that life isn’t worth living is just a step away from suicidal tendencies, a warning sign that requires immediate action. Even the closest friends or siblings may not notice that someone is having frequent thoughts of suicide. If you’re experiencing these feelings, immediately contact someone you trust, like a friend, relative, doctor, therapist or other mental healthcare clinician, adviser, or a religious or spiritual leader. If you don’t feel comfortable with those resources, or they aren’t responding to your needs, reach out to professional help.
Recklessness
Before someone with depression reaches the point of suicidal tendencies, there are other signs to look for. Those with depression will often turn to risky behavior. Though it may not be a pursuit of death, turning to reckless activities, from dangerous stunts to drunk or impaired driving, recklessness is an important sign to look out for.
Alcohol Abuse
When you’re feeling down in the dumps, do you find yourself reaching for a glass of wine, a bottle of beer or even a shot of vodka for a “pick-me-up?” Problems with alcohol abuse led to increased major depression as opposed to major depression leading to alcohol abuse, suggests a 2009 study conducted by the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences in New Zealand. However, it is common behavior for those who are battling depression to turn to alcohol as a form of self-medication to numb their pain. Because of its association with depression, alcohol abuse is a definite warning sign that depression might not be far behind.
Low Sex Drive
A sudden drop in libido is usually associated with some physical or mental change. It goes along with a loss of interest in general social contact as a very common sign of depression. Clinical depression is so extreme as to virtually eliminate an individual’s pursuit of any kind of joy or pleasure, including physical contact and sex.
Pain
Though depression may seem like it all takes place in the head, it can be a full-body condition. Partly because people with depression aren’t getting the right amount of sleep or a balanced, nutritious diet, physical pain can set in. Headaches are the most common pain depression symptom, though back pain and aching joints and muscles are also possible. Even stomach and digestive problems can arise and be related to depression.
Prescription Drug Abuse
From pain to sleep disorders, people with depression have plenty of justifiable reasons to take strong prescription drugs. Unfortunately, they also have a tendency to abuse these drugs. Combine the inclination toward reckless behavior, physical pain and the need to escape, and the temptation to abuse prescription drugs is often just too great. Prescription drug abuse is even more frightening because of the potential risk for inflating suicidal tendencies. Additionally, some prescription drugs have a risk of depression as a side effect, even when taken in the proper dose. If you think someone may be abusing prescription drugs or if you think your medication may be affecting your mood, call a doctor.
Treatment Options
Not everyone knows that depression is a clinical condition with guidelines for diagnosis, so if you recognize these warning signs in yourself or someone you know, address the issues and seek medical help. Very often the biggest challenge is accepting the problem. In talking with a doctor, you’ll learn the various treatment methods, ranging from prescription pills to talk therapy, and figure out which treatment — or combination of treatments — works best for you.
Prevention
While there is no sure way to prevent depression, there are things you can do to help you through tough days and keep your depression from worsening. Working to control your stress and anxiety levels, maintaining strong relationships with supportive friends and family and treatment at the earliest sign of problem can help. Also, maintaining treatment long-term and routine therapy may help in preventing a relapse.
