What are the signs of depression: understanding core concept

Posted On July 23, 2020June 17, 2022

Introduction

Looking for signs of depression? 

Well! This article describes depression and significant clinical symptoms of depression.

You will be shocked to know that 7 lakh people die due to suicide globally every year. The main reason behind suicide is depression. 

According to WHO, 280 million people are suffering from depression globally. 

We know that number can be increased if we add unrecorded data as depression is challenging to diagnose. 

But when it comes to overall countries, India was supposed to be the most depressed country in 2019. Currently, the prevalence of depression is fluctuating among countries like Ukraine, the USA, Estonia, Australia, Brazil, etc.

In this post, I will talk about 9 major clinical signs of depression. If it happens with you, your friend, or your family member. In that case, you may easily recognize the hidden signs of depression and get appropriate treatment. 

Let’s know what depression is that destroys the human-like termites.

What is depression?

We get ill not only from our bodies but also from our minds.

Depression is the most common and serious mental problem among all psychiatric disorders. 

This disease can occur at any age, but it is most prevalent in teenagers or students because much academic pressure gives them stress.

However, sustained stress is not only the reason for depression as it also works with social environmental, and biological factors.

So, depression can happen to anyone who is living in a very high-stress environment for a very long period. It causes a persistent feeling of sadness, stress, lack of interest, etc. 

It affects your daily life activities like sleeping, eating, and working

This disease is also known as “mood disorder” or “unipolar depression,” or “clinical depression,” or “major depressive disorder.”

What are the signs of depression in children, teens, men, women, and older? And how to know depression symptoms? 

There are a lot of things that could trigger depression. For example, women can have depression during pregnancy, menstrual cycle, postpartum period, and perimenopause. 

Women are more likely to develop depression than men. It is more prevalent in teenage girls among all age groups. 

Well! 9 significant clinical signs influence depression. These signs of depression are generally the same in almost all age groups like children, teens, men, women, and older.

If you have at least 5 signs, you may be concerned with depression. You should consult with your psychiatrist if –

1. Low mood 

You will be thinking, what are the first signs of depression? 

The sadness of mood is the first sign of your depression, as depression is a mood disorder.

If you feel a low mood every time, even at festivals, parties, special occasions, and celebrations, that could be a major sign of depression.

During the depression, you may experience a low mood spell for a longer period of time that is also called persistent sadness.

2. Loss of interest 

It is also known as anhedonia.

If you are not taking an interest in your work and study

If you do not desire to meet anyone, unlike before

If you do not have an interest in sex or lack of sexual connection with your partner

These activities also represent a sign of depression.

3. Loss of energy

As per a study – lack of enthusiasm and emotional disturbances may be consequences of loss of energy. 

If you feel weakness, lethargy, tiredness, getting bored, overwhelmed, sluggishness, etc… You are much more likely with a sign of depression.

4. Change in appetite 

Sometimes during the depression, you do not have to do anything. Due to this, you may spend most of your time on junk foods like cheeseburgers, pizza, cold-drink, ice-creams, chips, etc.

You may get more weight in depression.

It may be reversed if you do not take an interest in eating, leading to weight loss and malnutrition.

So, you may get an increase or decrease in appetite while you get depressed.

5. Sleep disturbance 

Depression also affects your sleep, and it is one of the most consistent symptoms associated with depression.

You may get either too much sleep or too low during the depression. 

As per research, patients with a major depressive disorder are 88% have insomnia (inability to sleep), and 27% hypersomnia (oversleeping) reported.

Depression disturbs the circadian rhythm, which affects your sleep cycle.

6. Poor concentration 

If you are unable to focus on study, work, exercise, and your daily task

Or

If you have difficulty in hard to remembering, concentrating, and learning new things

This attention impairment could be a typical sign of depression.

7. Agitation (restlessness)

Sometimes you may feel hyper-activeness in physical work. You may get confused about what to do or what not to do.

You may have symptoms like excessive talking, excessive movements, inability to focus, and irritability, leading to depression.

8. Hopelessness (living in a black hole)

“My life sucks

I am nothing in life

I cannot do anything in my life

No one cares

I have darkness in my life.”

Have you ever got these thoughts in your mind?

If you are suffering from depression, you will always feel regret, have negative thoughts and blame yourself.

It makes you feel worthless, guilty, and of no value in life.

This kind of hopelessness could be the main reason for suicide.

9. Suicidal thoughts

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the US, especially in 15-34 years.

As per research, it is hypothesized that three specific symptoms are associated with elevating the risk for suicide –

a. Anhedonia, anxiety, and hopelessness

b. Agitation (restless) and panic

c. Aggression and impulsive behavior (engaging in dangerous activity)

If someone is having emotional pain, feeling worthless, and depletion of self-value. They think that I should give up and end of life.

They feel suicide is a permanent solution. This is the critical stage of depression.

If you have become socially withdrawn or in social isolation like – if someone is introverted, living alone and feeling lonely are strongly associated with suicidal thoughts.

But why does depression happen? What are the main causes of depression?

The exact cause of depression is still unknown.

According to medical research, two main factors work together in depression –psychological and physiological factors.

Psychological factors like social environment and life stress are associated with depression, but it does not work alone.

This psychological factor interacts with physiological factors like an imbalance of neurotransmitters (Dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin).

If the combination of physiological and psychological factors happened simultaneously in a specific stressful environment, that could lead to depression.

Physiological factors

Imbalance of neurotransmitter

Monoamine deficiency theory – There are three chemicals or neurotransmitters: serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and dopamine, known as monoamines.

In depression, all these chemicals decrease in your brain.

Along with that, other neurotransmitters (chemicals) also disturb – 

• Elevation of acetylcholine level and cortisol level (stress hormone).
• Reduction of GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) level in major depressive disorder.

So, depression is not only associated with one neurotransmitter; a lot of chemical imbalance occurs in your brain while struggling with this disease.

Psychological factors

If there is confliction in your thinking, confusion, or not clarity in the speed of thought, that may lead to depression.

There are social factors and life stress problems that may influence depression, like –

• Relationship breakup – confliction in girlfriend-boyfriend or husband-wife relationships
• Death of family member – you may be in shock if you lose your own like spouse, parent, child, and sibling.
• Financial problem – if you lose your job and have a lot of debt, which may impact the financial burden.
• Academic stress of students – if you have excessive assignments or fear of failure in class.
• Consecutive defeat – a repetition of failure in work, school, or activities may lead to depression.
• Negative emotions – hate, dislike, envious, furious, sadness, etc.

Other factors

• Ongoing health problem – if you suffer from a chronic medical illness like Hypothyroidism, Stroke, Diabetes, Heart disease, Chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, Cushing’s syndrome, Traumatic brain injury, etc.
• Medicines – Some medicines may induce depression, e.g., Antiepileptic drugs (Phenytoin, Barbiturates, Topiramate), Beta-blockers (Propranolol), Corticosteroids, Digitalis, Psychostimulants (fenfluramine, phenylpropanolamine), Nifedipine, etc.
• Chronic use of alcohol

Conclusion

Depression is a significant public health problem that may go up to suicidal thoughts.

There is a lack of awareness in public regarding depression. You must have seen that many people laugh at depressive patients, especially in India. 

We need to give them support and motivation to overcome this mental problem. 

In this article, we have seen important warning signs of depression. 

I hope these noticeable signs and symptoms of depression will help your doctor start appropriate anti-depression drugs for treatment. 

If you found this post informative, please share it on social media. 

Sources –

1. Ian H Gotlib. Handbook of depression. The guilford press, New York -london, 2009, 2^nd edition.

2. Depression-Related Increases and Decreases in Appetite.

3. Sleep Disturbances in Depression

4. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors and social isolation

5. National alliance of mental illness

6. Circadian rhythm disturbances in depression

7. Can drugs cause depression? 

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