Depression is more than just feeling unhappy or sad for a few days. Most people go through periods of this, but when you’re depressed, these feelings last persistently for weeks or months, rather than getting better over the space of three days.
Depression is a serious mental illness that can dramatically affect the quality of a person’s life.
Depression can be absolutely debilitating and life-consuming and destroys lives.
It is a real illness with real symptoms – and these symptoms aren’t just feeling a bit sad.
And, the symptoms aren’t just mental, either – they affect you physically, too.
Below are 50 common symptoms that can be caused by depression.
How many have you experienced?
- Feeling tearful
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Lack of motivation
- Agitation
- Feeling frequently down
- Feeling empty or numb
- Isolating yourself
- Feeling unable to relate to other people
- Not finding pleasure in things you used to enjoy
- Lack of self-confidence
- Lack of self-esteem
- A loss of interest in sex
- Sleeping changes: Sleeping too much or too little
- Hopelessness
- Suicidal ideation
- Questioning the point in life
- Brain fog
- Difficulty thinking clearly
- Self-harming
- Avoiding social events
- Stopping doing things you once enjoyed
- Smoking or drinking more
- Memory loss
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Increase in appetite
- Losing weight
- Gaining weight
- Physical aches and pains
- Stomach aches
- Feeling overwhelmed with guilt
- No longer feeling good enough
- Nausea
- Phantom itching
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Excessive boredom
- Trouble making decisions
- Loss of concentration
- Slow thoughts or movement
- Decreased energy
- Difficulty completing tasks
- Engaging in high-risk activities
- Withdrawing yourself from friends
- No desire to look after your appearance
- No desire to clean or keep your house tidy
- Frequently waking far too early
- Negative thinking
- Constipation
All of the symptoms listed can be signs that you are suffering with depression. It is important that if you think you may have depression, you go to your GP to talk to them about what is going on. Not only will it be a weight off of your shoulders but they will also be able to talk to you about what is going on, and will be able to treat you properly and help you understand the illness better. It’s so important that if you are suffering with depression, you seek help for it. Nobody should suffer in silence, and there is help out there – so please seek it.
If you are currently struggling and need to talk, call Samaritans on 116 123.