Depression is a major problem that you can experience in your life. When not treated timely, it may affect your feelings, think, and behave and result in some physical, mental, and emotional problems. Below are top 10 early signs of depression that you should know. All 10 warning signs cannot occur at once and its severity may vary. Whether the severity is mild or major, this problem may be treated naturally and with proper medical help.
- Fatigue
According to a study published in the Psychiatry in 2004, fatigue is one of the common symptoms occurring in patients with depression. Our brain emits serotonin -the neurotransmitter that is in charge of creating happy feelings. Similarly, epinephrine is known as the neurotransmitter that is in charge of creating energy. Biologically, depression suppresses the serotonin levels produced by our brain, which will lead to producing a lower level of other neurotransmitters, such as epinephrine. This leads to chronic fatigue.
In 2000, a study published in the European Neuropsychopharmacology found that 73 percent of 78,463 participants reported tiredness as a common symptom of depression. According to a study published in the Depression and Anxiety in 2014, the treatment of fatigue in people with depression is poor, which results in more severe depression.
- Anxiety
Anxiety is not just a nervous feeling about happened things or something that is yet to occur. The disorder can also terribly interfere with the peace of mind of a person and making a person obsess little things to the paranoia. So, while you are experiencing depression, anxiety can make your problem worse. For example, a slight personal setback will also cause patients with depression to beat themselves. They cannot distract themselves and even show physical symptoms, including sweating, rapid heartbeats, and palpitations.
According to a study published in the Comprehensive Psychiatry in 2000, out of 255 patients with depression, 50.6 percent experienced anxiety disorders.
- Anger & Irritability
Along with an obvious feeling of despair, anger is another emotion that is also an early sign of the initial period of depression. This is usually accompanied by heightened irritability and it tends to lose something that seems to cool and trivial. Any harmless & tiny thing may cause an outburst from a person with depression.
According to a study in the American Medical Association Journal in 2013, a depressive condition accompanied by anger often has a more severe intensity than regular clinical type and it is likely to be more prolonged. The study also notes that a serious and prolonged depression can cause other disorders, including anxiety disorders and substance abuse.
- Insomnia
Depression messes up two systems of your body that help you sleep well. So, what are they? Firstly, it is the homeostasis process. This process tells you when you are awake long enough and need sleep. Meanwhile, the circadian process maintains the wakefulness and sleepiness during the day.
According to a study published in the Affective Disorders Journal in 2011, non-depressed insomniacs cause a two-fold chance of depression as compared to patients with no sleep issues.
Moreover, according to a study published in the Sleep Medicine Reviews in 2000, insomnia still occurring after depression causes an increased risk of developing clinical depression once again. It is crucial to consider this possibility while finding effective remedies for depression.
- Weight Changes
Along with being constantly moody, most patients with depression will suffer from loss of appetite suddenly. Just thinking about eating a meal may make them queasy, even when they haven’t had a meal in a day. Therefore, they can begin to lose body weight in a wrong way. According to a study published in the Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry in 2002, loss of appetite is the most commonly occurring sign of the unipolar disorder.
Contrarily, in spite of less frequent than losing weight, some people can gain weight during the depression because they binge eating so much to comfort themselves.
According to a study published in American Journal of Public Health in 2009, people with severe depression reported an increase in abdominal and overall body weight.
- Loss Of Pleasure Or Interest In Hobbies And Activities
In fact, a loss of pleasure or interest in social activities and contact is medically called anhedonia.
Depressed patients can isolate themselves and they often spend time on doing nothing because they cannot seem to get pleasure from any activity.
In 2009, a study published in the Neuroreport found that when depressed patients and healthy people were made to enjoy their favorite music and then done by an MRI scan of the brains for comparison, people with depression showed less activity in their brain regions related to pleasure & reward processing than the other group.
Anhedonia is also a major characteristic of depression. Therefore, if you are no longer talked into hitting the movie theater as normal and have continuously had sad feelings, take note and find medical care.
- Always Think Of Suicide & Death
It isn’t uncommon for people to often think of death, especially when they grow older. Nevertheless, thoughts of the death of depressed patients are a grave reason for concern and it needs to be treated urgently.
According to a study in The Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry in 2002, suicidal thoughts are related to mood disorders like the clinical depression. A study in the Journal of General Practice in 2005 found that many factors cause the inclination of an older person to harm themselves and the most common factor is clinical depression. Suicidal tendencies can include recurrent thoughts, role-playing & physical self-harm and online searches & planning.
- Reckless Behavior
People who often appear a little wild and are always giving an impression of life on the edge may just be experiencing depression, especially if they aren’t used to be before.
Naturally, this doesn’t mean that all adventurous people are depressed. But if a person, who has other signs of depression and has an emotional turmoil, becomes interested in something such as a night of alcohol drinking & substance abuse, you know it is not right. Alcoholism, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and gambling might be a coping mechanism of a person against inner suffering and a way to escape unpleasant feelings.
According to a study in the Annals of General Psychiatry in 2015, 35.71 percent of 923 people who had risky sexual behavior showed moderate signs of depression while just 5.62 percent displayed severe depression signs.
- Low Self-Esteem, Guilt, And Hopelessness
Feelings of guilt, a bleak vision of future-coming events, and lack of self-confidence are signs of clinical depression.
Patients with depression are often more unforgiving of themselves. In a few cases, they reportedly blame others and express negative sense toward them. This shows that guilt and self-blame are a central sign of clinical depression.
According to a study in the Affective Disorders journal in 2015, 85 percent of 132 patients with major depressive disorder reported a sense of self-blame & inadequacy as one of the most troublesome & recurring signs. The study also notes that self-disgust, shame, and guilt are the next-reported occurring signs.
- Short-Term Memory Loss And Lack Of Concentration
Today, the busy life can leave you distracted and overwhelmed over time. However, if you cannot seem to focus on something longer than several seconds, along with frequently feeling miserable, you might be depressed. According to a study in the Psychiatry Research in 2004, deteriorated concentration is the most frequently occurring sign of the major depressive disorder. Moreover, a study in the Cognition and Emotion in 2015 found that patients with depression reported difficulty in recalling information on a really short-term basis.
You might notice that you have got less productive and you are always forgetting where you put many important things such as your keys or documents. This memory loss for a short term might indicate depression.
Author Bio:
This guest post is by Emily Pham, a blogger with over 10 years of experience in searching the effective remedies for skin care and health problems.