Signs that you are depressed

It is important to understand whether you are depressed or not before you fall deep into a deep depression and struggle to get out of it. Once you acknowledge the signs it can help you accept whether you need to seek help.

There are several warning signs you should look out for when figuring out if you are depressed, keep reading as we list off the main ones and ways to help you out.

Firstly, what is depression? Depression is a mood disorder that will cause a low mood that lasts weeks or months and will affect your daily life. There are many things that can cause depression whether that's particular traumatic events, family history, stressful events, personality, and so on.

According to helpguide.org, some people describe depression as having a feeling of impending doom, lifelessness, emptiness or apathy. If you’re depressed you are likely to feel helpless or hopeless, these are symptoms of depression and not always a true reflection of your situation, just the way you are feeling.

Common signs and symptoms of depressions

1. Feeling hopeless

Having depression can change your outlook on life drastically, it can lead to you feeling helpless and hopeless. Many of those with depression will feel as if there is nothing you can do to help get yourself out of a rut or there is nothing in life that you enjoy and thus you feel helpless as you feel nothing will help.

Some common thoughts you might have with depression include ‘what's the point’ or ‘I feel so alone’.

2. Loss of energy

It is a common symptom of depression to feel fatigued and physically drained. It could be the case that you are finding it harder to do small tasks or they take longer due to your body feeling heavy and drained.

Depression can also lead to you oversleeping or experiencing insomnia, such as struggling to get to sleep or waking up early. Overtime, this can increase anxiety symptoms due to a lack of sleep and this can add more pressure to your depression.

3. Loss of interest

Often, depression will strip you of your enjoyment for the things you would normally love doing or even slightly enjoy. With depression, these things can at times feel like a chore, this could include things such as hobbies, sports, or even going out with friends.

It is also common for you to lose interest in sex, depression can decrease libido and even impotence.

4. Increased anxiety

It is frequently the case that depression and anxiety occur together, although depression is not always the cause of anxiety it can increase anxiety that may have already existed or even the main cause of your depression.

Anxiety symptoms include:

• Nervousness

• Restlessness

• Feelings of danger and dread

• Panic

• Rapid breathing

• Rapid heart rate

• Increased or heavy sweating

• Muscle twitching

• Trouble focusing or thinking clearly

5. Changes in appetite and weight

Depression can lead to a change in appetite, whether that's excessive eating or losing your appetite completely, this is likely to lead to your weight changing too.

Usually, if the change in your diet is not deliberate, then it is likely depression has caused the change in your appetite.

6. Anger or irritability

More common in men, depression can lead to anger and irritability, this can lead you to feeling agitated, restless and even violent. Depression lowers your tolerance, leading to a short temper and everyone or everything gets on your last nerve, this can sometimes lead to you lashing out without wanting/meaning to.

7. Trouble concentrating

Depression can make it harder for you to concentrate, simply because you don't see the point, you’re more likely to take notice of your racing thoughts or perhaps you just zone out completely due to this.

8. Thoughts of death

Most suicide cases are due to depression, during a depressive state you feel hopeless and focus on the negatives and it can often lead to you feeling suicidal as you would do anything to stop feeling that way.

In 2020, the suicide rate in the UK was 10 deaths per 100,000 population according to Statista.

Seeking Help

If you feel as though you may be suffering from depression then it is important to seek help, you could do this by talking to a doctor, taking up therapy, or there are plenty of helplines you can call or visit, you can find UK helplines here at mind.

If you are having suicidal thoughts or believe someone else is, then it is important to act fast but appropriately to prevent this from happening. It can be helpful to use the helplines but seeing your GP is just as important.

There are a few ways you can help yourself including:

1. Do something active - getting at least 15-20 minutes of exercise can be super helpful with your mood.

2. Talk to others - talk to friends or family, or if you don't feel comfortable doing so, use helplines or find a therapist that could be right for you.

3. Look after yourself - treat yourself and practice self care

4. Challenge negative thinking - i.e. identify when your mood is low and try and counter these thoughts but writing arguments against them