Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Depression or Stress

The symptoms of chronic stress and depression are often very similar. When stress is significant and/or lengthy in duration, it may actually cause depression. Stress and depression can be responsible for not only mental and emotional suffering, but also physical suffering and can be devastating in many ways to the sufferer.

Physical Symptoms of Chronic Stress

• Chronic stress can wreak havoc on your body. It is often more than a simple headache. The symptoms of chronic stress also include back pain, chest pain, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, decreased immunity, digestive problems and sleep problems. These symptoms, particularly untreated high blood pressure, can lead to more serious complications, such as heart disease.

Mental Symptoms of Chronic Stress

• Prolonged stress can lead to problems with anxiety, restlessness, worry, irritability, sadness, anger, feelings of insecurity, inability to concentrate, "burnout" and forgetfulness. As mentioned in the introduction, the symptoms of long-term stress can lead to depression.

Behavioral Signs of Chronic Stress

• When stress is not dealt with appropriately in a healthy fashion, people often turn to other methods of "coping" such as overeating or under-eating, drug and alcohol abuse, smoking or withdrawing from social situations. A chronically stressed person may also be prone to angry outbursts and crying spells and may suffer relationship conflicts.

Physical Symptoms of Chronic Depression

• Chronic depression, known as Dysthymia, is a less severe form of depression. The symptoms tend to linger over longer periods of time, even up to several years, but the individual is generally able to function, despite being constantly sad.

  The physical symptoms of Dysthymia include difficulty sleeping (either too much or too little) and insomnia; loss of energy and fatigue; overeating or under-eating; persistent aches and pains, headaches, cramps and digestive problems that are not resolved with treatment. The sufferer may also feel very sluggish.

Mental Symptoms of Chronic Depression

• Mental symptoms of chronic depression include a persistent sad or empty feeling; feelings of guilt, helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness; a hard time concentrating or making decisions; mental "sluggishness" and thoughts of death or suicide.

Coping with Stress and Depression

• There are healthy ways of dealing with stress that won't cause you to develop an addiction or gain weight. The Mayo Clinic suggests increasing your physical activity, learning relaxation techniques, meditating and taking Yoga or Tai Chi. Other suggestions include positive thinking, massage therapy, journaling and counseling.