Symptoms of Depression
During a depressive episode, people experience low mood and low energy most of the day, nearly every day. It becomes your normal emotional experience. Symptoms include feelings of emptiness or hopelessness, as well as irritability. You lose interest in things that you enjoyed and were important to you, like hobbies, work, or sex. Depression can affect your ability to sleep, and even people who manage to get enough sleep often feel tired anyway. Other people with depression experience hypersomnia, or oversleeping. Regardless of how much sleep they get, most people with depression wind up feeling and acting lethargic. Depression affects appetite for a lot of people, as well. For many, that means reduced appetite and weight loss. For others, it means food cravings and weight gain.
Depression can also cause problems with memory and concentration. People who are depressed have frequent feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and hopelessness. Complications like social isolation, self-harm, and conflicts with friends and family can arise. And while it’s unpleasant to talk about, it needs to be noted: frequent thoughts of death or suicide are a part of depression, and one of its biggest risks.
Of course, not every person who experiences depression will be feeling all of these things, and people who do feel them won’t necessarily feel them all of the time. Not all depression is equal in severity. And just like other ailments, the specific symptoms that appear can vary from person to person and case to case.
Image: Claudia, via Unsplash.
Did you know...
- Have you ever told your husband something and he promptly forgets it? It's not his fault, actually. It really is because he's a man. The hippocampus (the part of the brain that deals with memory) begins to shrink with age faster in men than it does in women. That's why you can remember everything, and he can't!
- Do you know what the strongest muscle in your body is? No, it’s not your biceps or your thighs. It’s actually in your head. The masseter is a muscle in the jaw that is used when chewing. When all of the muscles of the jaw work together, they can exert a force as strong as 200 pounds on the molars. That’s some serious pressure.
- There are many factors that contribute to your body odor, but one of the strongest links is our diet. This may be some bad news for meat-lovers because many studies have shown that those who refrained from or ate less red meat were judged as being more pleasant smelling. The meat sweats are real, and they don’t smell great!
- Are you currently or often tired? As contradictory as it may sound, one of the best things you can do is exercise! It gives you more energy by improving your blood flow and increasing your oxygen throughout your body. You don't need to do much; a brisk walk is all it takes!
- Starting to feel claustrophobic? The smells of apples may help keep your claustrophobic feelings at bay according to a 1995 study by Dr. Alan Hirsch. Green apples, specifically, helped people change their perception of their space. Maybe they thought of expansive apple orchards? Cucumbers and barbecue made the feelings worse.