First Symptoms of Depression that Are Often Overlooked
Depression is something quite common nowadays, and there are a couple of warning signs that may indicate its appearance. These signs are often overlooked, as they may be mistaken with the melancholic state of being everyone experiences from time to time. Nonetheless, these signs are as real as depression, and they indicate that something is not right. Keep in mind that the first genuine step is to acknowledge your problem, and then you can get better.
Symptoms of depression include:
- General State of Sadness and Gloominess. If you are constantly feeling sad and prone to getting easily distressed by every single thing that goes wrong in your life, this may constitute one of the first signs of depression.
- Anger and Panic Attacks often constitute signs that depression is settling in. A constant angry disposition, joined by panic attacks and an indefinite feeling of fear make the individual feel unworthy of anyone’s company, determining him to alienate himself from the rest of the world. This anger is often orientated towards himself, rather than towards others.
- Lack of Energy. If you’re feeling sucked out of energy and willingness to do the things that previously offered you satisfaction, you might be suffering from depression. This negative thinking triggers the constant feel of weariness and fatigue which builds into a general state of exhaustion.
- Loss of Concentration. This general state of confusion and negativity affects our nervous system greatly. It determines the impossibility to be truly present while doing different activities. If you previously enjoyed reading a lot, you might observe you no longer present the necessary attention and disposition towards the concentration this habit requires. This is determined by the fact that your mind is always far away, somewhere in the past.
- Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. This is often experienced by those suffering from depression. They feel unable to change their present, often because of the imminent results of their past mistakes. The inability to change themselves and those around them, as well as some aspects in their life they find unappealing – these lead to depression.
- Sleeping Disorders may be manifested either by insomnia or by excessive sleeping. As a result of an uninterested approach towards life, sleeping seems to be the perfect escape from reality, therefore a realm to depressed people. However, insomnia is resulted by the continuous stream of negative thought going in a person’s mind that prevents him/her from the tranquility sleeping offers.
- Guilt and Self-Loathing are sentiments that torment people who are prone to depression; these feelings are often rooted in the past and connected to painful mistakes which had harsh repercussions on these people’s present lives. They also appear to blame themselves for everything that goes wrong in their lives, and also in the lives of those surrounding them. They often experience self-loathing, even self-hatred.
- Negative Thinking is a definite warning sign of depression. This pessimistic attitude towards the future and its possible outcomes is often accompanied by hypersensitivity and an overreacted concern over all kinds of unimportant aspects in life.
- Eating Disorders may be manifested either by gaining weight or loosing weight. This is usually triggered by the impression that this is one of the few aspects in life over which a person holds control.
Depression for Adolescents
Adolescents often experience depression as a result of several facts that add up, making this transition period really difficult for them to cope with. Adding to the symptoms mentioned above, there are a couple of signs that can also determine such problems in adolescents, for instance: problems in school, truancy, low hygiene, exaggerated reactions over rejection, unwillingness to socialize.