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Short-Term Effects of Depression

Depression is a physical condition as well as an emotional condition. As such, it can have short-term effects on your entire body. These can range from fatigue to memory problems to pain. As depression is treated, the side effects should begin to diminish. Left untreated, however, they can become more severe or turn into long-term side effects, which may be harder to control.

  1. Fatigue

    • If you are depressed, it is not unusual to have constant feelings of fatigue that are not alleviated by eating or getting normal amounts of rest. In fact, when you are depressed, you will find that all you want to do is rest and sleep, because that has become your escape route or your way of not having to cope with situations.

    Loss of Motivation

    • You may feel like or even know that you have to do something; however, when you are depressed you can suffer from loss of motivation. You may eventually get around to doing what you need to do, but only after you have had to make a concerted effort to do only the bare minimum of what it takes to fulfill the task or obligation.

    Total Lack of Concentration

    • You will finally get just enough motivation to accomplish the task only to find out that, because of your depression, you are having trouble concentrating on the task. A short-term effect of depression can be a total lack of concentration. Because this can lead to errors and decreased job performance, frustrations can mount, only adding to your depression.

    Change in Appetite

    • Depression may cause you to overeat, because you don't care about your personal appearance or you may think you are gaining comfort from the food you are eating. On the other hand, you may find yourself unable to eat. It either makes you sick to eat, or you feel that you can only swallow a few bites---and simply can't eat any more.

    Pain

    • If you are depressed, you may feel pain. You may suffer from frequent headaches or you may have pain in your back or other areas of your body. You may also find that your pain threshold is lower than it once was, making you feel pain quicker and more severely than you did before.

      Additionally, if you suffer from chronic pain, this may very well be the cause of your depression.

      Antidepressants often work very well to control the pain associated with depression. Additionally, they act on the other symptoms of depression as well. When the depression begins to get under control through the taking of the antidepressant drug, you will or should notice the short-term effects diminishing and possibly disappearing all together.

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