While everyone feels sad from time to time, major depression is very different. Major depressive disorder or clinical depression causes you to experience feelings of sadness, loneliness, or a loss of interest in things you once enjoyed. When these feelings occur for more than two weeks, doctors may diagnose this as major depressive disorder. These symptoms are a sign that you need to seek professional help. Talk to your doctor if you have symptoms that may indicate depression.
1. Hopeless outlook
Major depression is a mood disorder that affects the way you feel about life in general. Having a hopeless or helpless outlook on your life is the most common symptom of depression.
Other feelings may be worthlessness, self-hate, or inappropriate guilt. Common, recurring thoughts of depression may be vocalized as, “It’s all my fault,” or “What’s the point?”
2. Lost interest
Depression can take the pleasure or enjoyment out of the things you love. A loss of interest or withdrawal from activities that you once looked forward to — sports, hobbies, or going out with friends — is yet another telltale sign of major depression.
3. Increased fatigue and sleep problems
Part of the reason you might stop doing things you enjoy is because you feel very tired. Depression often comes with a lack of energy and an overwhelming feeling of fatigue, which can be among the most debilitating symptoms of depression. This could lead to excessive sleeping.
Depression is also linked with insomnia, as one might lead to the other and vice versa. They can also make each other worse. The lack of quality, restful sleep can also lead to anxiety.
4. Anxiety
While depression hasn’t been shown to cause anxiety, the two conditions often occur together. Symptoms of anxiety can include:
Nervousness, restlessness, or feeling tense feelings of danger, panic, or dread rapid heart rate rapid breathing increased or heavy sweating trembling or muscle twitching trouble focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about.
Irritability in men
Depression can affect the people differently. Research shows that men with depression may have symptoms such as irritability, escapist or risky behavior, substance or misplaced anger.
Men are also less likely than women to recognize depression or seek treatment for it.
6. Changes in appetite and weight
Weight and appetite can fluctuate for people with depression. This experience may be different for each person. Some people will have an increased appetite and gain weight, while others won’t be hungry and will lose weight.
One indication of whether dietary changes are related to depression is if they’re intentional or not. If they’re not, it may mean that they’re caused by depression.
7. Uncontrollable emotions
One minute it’s an outburst of anger. The next, you’re crying uncontrollably. Nothing outside of you prompted the change, but your emotions are up and down at a moment’s notice. Depression can cause mood swings.
8. Looking at death
Depression is sometimes connected with suicide. In 2013, more than 42,000 people died from suicide in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Trusted Source.
People who die by suicide usually show symptoms first. Often people will talk about it or make a first attempt before succeeding in ending their lives. If you think someone is at immediate risk of self-harm or hurting another person:
Call 911 or your local emergency number. Stay with the person until help arrives. Remove any guns, knives, medications, or other things that may cause harm. Listen, but don’t judge, argue, threaten, or yell. If you think someone is considering suicide, get help from a crisis or suicide prevention hotline.
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