10 Most Common Symptoms Of Depression And Tips To Deal With Them

Depression has been seen from the newborn to the elderly. The number of depression in children and adults is also increasing day by day. Stressful life, being highly ambitious further enhances them, Suicide - Eight lakh (800000) people in the world commit suicide every year, according to data from W.H.O. 1, 35, 000 (17%) of these are our Indians.

Feeling down from time to time is a normal part of life, but when emotions such as hopelessness and despair take hold and just won’t go away, you may have depression. More than just sadness in response to life’s struggles and setbacks, depression changes how you think, feel, and function in daily activities.

It can interfere with your ability to work, study, eat, sleep, and enjoy life. Just trying to get through the day can be overwhelming. Let's know about 10 common symptoms of depression.

Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness

A bleak outlook—nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.

Loss of interest in daily activities

You don’t care anymore about former hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure.

Appetite or weight changes

Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.

Sleep changes

Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping.

Anger or irritability

Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone gets on your nerves.

Loss of energy

Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete.

Self-loathing

Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.

Reckless behavior

You engage in escapist behavior such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.

Concentration problems

Lack of concentration or finding it hard or having a hard time making any decisions is also a common sign of depression. People suffering from depression often recognise that they are struggling to think clearly and stay focused. This symptom of depression is more common in older adults.

Unexplained aches and pains

An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.

What Does Depression Look Like?

Women are more likely to ruminate (worry, dwell on, or rehash negative feelings). This can look like negative self-talk, sudden crying spells, feelings of guilt, or blaming oneself. Women are also more likely to have depression at the same time as an anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder, eating disorder, or obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Men with depression are more likely to show signs of irritability, anger, apathy, escapist behavior (like spending more time at work), or reckless behavior (like misusing alcohol or other substances).

Younger people can struggle with depression and MDD (even though the average age of onset is 32). Children and teens may sometimes exhibit oversensitivity, social withdrawal, poor school performance, frequent physical complaints (like headaches and stomachaches), or feelings of incompetence and despair (like they can’t do anything right or that everything is their fault).

Older adults and the elderly are often misdiagnosed or undertreated for depression because their symptoms can be mistaken for other disorders (for example, confusion or memory problems caused by depression can look like Alzheimer’s disease), or they may assume their feelings are just an inevitable part of aging.

For many, sadness isn’t the biggest indicator of depression; instead, physical complaints (aches and pains, worsening headaches) are often the predominant symptom. Sleep trouble, low motivation, neglect of personal care or hygiene, and fixation on death are other signs of depression in older adults.