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All the Symptoms of Depression

We all have moments in which we feel sad or unhappy over events that occur in our life. These feelings of sadness are a normal response and are only temporary. Depression is very different than these fleeting moments of sadness. Clinical depression is a chronic illness that affects your mind and body. The symptoms of depression can interfere with sleeping, working, eating, and concentrating.

  1. Severe Fatigue

    • One of the most common symptoms of depression is fatigue. It might feel as if your body was encased in heavy cement. Small tasks like getting out of bed are daunting because your body feels completely drained of energy. Everyday errands such as going to the grocery store can leave you exhausted and take much longer to complete. You may also suffer from body aches, backaches, digestive problems, and headaches that don't improve with treatment.

    Feelings of Despair

    • According to Epigee.org, you may have intense feelings of sadness and feeling down. You may have sudden crying spells. You may feel hopeless about your life. You might feel that you will never get better and that your situation will never change. You may have overwhelming feelings of guilt or worthlessness or may be extremely critical of your mistakes. You may be irritable, restless, or easily bothered. You may feel pessimistic about life in general.

    Loss of Interest

    • One of the hardest aspects of this mood disorder is that you may lose all of your motivation. It may be hard to even find the motivation to drag yourself out of bed, much less complete other tasks. You may feel empty and numb. You may also lose interest in the hobbies or pastimes that you used to enjoy. You might withdraw from family and friends because you lose interest in socializing. Your relationship may suffer if you lose interest in sexual activities.

    Disruption of Sleeping and Eating Patterns

    • According to HelpGuide.org, one of the classic signs of depression is the disruption of normal sleeping patterns for several weeks. You may find that it is difficult to fall asleep or too stay asleep. If insomnia is being caused by another medical condition, depression can worsen. Another common symptom of depression is a loss of interest in food or using food as a source of comfort. You may have significant changes in weight such as a 5% increase or decrease of your body weight in a month.

    Brain Fog

    • Depression makes it feel as if your mind is wrapped up in a fog. Focusing and concentrating during work or school is difficult. It's hard to think and to make rational decisions. You may feel indecisive and overwhelmed. Depression can make it difficult to remember things. You may also have repetitive negative thoughts that feel impossible to control. Another classic symptom of depression is recurrent thoughts of dying or death. You may have repetitive suicidal thoughts and construct a suicide plan.

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