Depression Symptoms

Depression: Introduction

Depression is an illness that makes you feel sad, unhappy, miserable or blue. Many people have feelings of depression at some point of life for brief or long periods.

Other health conditions may be present before depression. These conditions may cause depression or occur as a result of depression. But when the depressive feelings do not go away for extended periods of time and start interfering with everyday life, it is known as clinical depression.

What are the Depression Symptoms?

Those suffering from depressive illnesses can experience symptoms that may be psychological, physical or social, depending on the differing levels of intensity.

Some of the psychological symptoms of depression:

• Persistent sadness or low mood
• Feelings of hopelessness, emptiness
• Having a sense of low self-worth
• Feelings of guilt
• Feel like crying
• Feelings of tenseness
• Irritability
• Feeling indecisive
• Loss of motivation or interest in life
• Suicidal tendencies

Depression symptoms that are of a physical nature:

• Body pain and aches, often unexplained
• Fatigue
• Gaining weight (due to overeating)
• Constipation
• Slow movements and slow speech
• Menstrual cycle changes
• Uninterested in sex
• Sleep disorders

Signs and symptoms of social depression:

• Drop in work performance
• Keeping away from social interactions
• Lesser interest in hobbies
• Disrupted family life

Researchers believe that chemical changes taking place in the brain may play an important role in development of depression or it may be a result of one’s genetic makeup. It can get activated through stressful events, or it can be a combination of both.

Signs of depression can affect people of every age and gender including children. Depression can also be a part of heredity and run in families. Nonetheless, it can also arise without any family history or an explainable reason.

The duration of depression symptoms and its severity or frequency can differ and depend on the affected person and type of depression.