5 signs of depression you need to save

Posted onJuly 30, 2019

Today, depression is the most common mental disorder. Despite the wide dissemination of information about her, many still consider it a sign of weakness, laziness, inability to work on themselves. A person in a state of depression may look quite active and cheerful in the company of other people and hesitate to admit his weakness. But, remaining alone with himself, he again experiences negative emotions, loses interest even in his hobbies, has problems with sleep and appetite.  

Depression, its causes and symptoms

Many people do not believe in the existence of depression. It seems to them that this state disappears from physical labor, engaging in a favorite activity, or eating bananas or chocolate. But neither the advice to “work”, nor the examples of real or fictional people who find themselves in difficult life situations, nor phrases like “life is beautiful” help a person to recover. On the contrary, they cause even more negative emotions. 

Depression develops in a person, regardless of his level of material support, social status, or the presence or absence of certain benefits. The main reasons for its development are the hereditary factor, problems with the endocrine system, stressful situations and traumatic events in a person’s life. Symptoms of depression are not always noticeable to others, because sometimes a person knows how to mask them so as not to dedicate anyone to their problems. Among the most common symptoms are anxiety, apathy, fatigue, lack of motivation for favorite things and work, unwillingness to communicate with people, irritability.

The complexity of the situation lies in the fact that the patient may not be aware that he is seriously ill, and others may not notice it. A person in a depressed state does not always neglect self-care or walks with a gloomy and depressed facial expression. At work or parties with friends, he can be cheerful and cheerful, but in his solitude he can attend dark and even suicidal thoughts.

5 bright signs of depression: negative emotions, fatigue and much more

Depression is significantly different from short-term bad mood or what is called the “blues.” If symptoms such as constant fatigue, unwillingness to communicate with people, loss of interest in your favorite activities, persist for more than two weeks, then the person’s family and friends should be on their guard and convince him to start treating depression. 

Psychotherapists recommend to pay attention to the following signs, which may indicate the beginning of a depressive state in a person:

  • Chronic fatigue and sleep problems

A person in a depressed state can sleep poorly, often wake up from obsessive dark thoughts or sleep for 10-12 hours and not get enough sleep;

  • Irritability

In a depressed state, a person experiences nervous tension if he needs to “keep his face” with others and find strength in himself for daily activities. This symptom may not be the most noticeable, especially if a person has previously distinguished melancholic temperament;

  • Lack of interest in work and daily activities

The depressed state is not at all sadness and longing, it is apathy and the absence of any emotions, some “numbness.” And in this state a person is often visited by thoughts about the unwillingness to live and about the absence of the meaning of life;

  • Waiver of favorite activities

Often in a depressed state, a person is advised to “shake things up” to find a hobby in the form of playing sports or creativity. But he simply does not have the strength to do it. Lack of interest in what brought joy, alarming loved ones and friends;

  • Change in appetite

A person in a depressed state may not feel the taste of food or, conversely, overeat. Compulsive eating or lack of appetite are common signs of depression.

When a family member, friend or colleague finds several symptoms of a possible depressive state, in no case should he be reproached for being lazy or offended for excessive irritability. It is possible that he needs treatment for depression. But only a psychotherapist can diagnose it.

Can you convince a person of the need to treat depression?

A depressed person can convince others that he is all right and that he does not need any treatment. He himself may not believe in his own depressive state and assume that it “will pass by itself.” Nevertheless, it can take a long time in a latent form. But it’s not so easy to convince a person to start treatment for depression, especially with a very negative reaction from him.

All people prefer to have in their environment cheerful and positive-minded people and try to isolate themselves from those who have problems. The most ineffective and even harmful for a person in a depressive state are criticism, reproaches for laziness and lack of gratitude for what he has, stories about other people’s and more serious disasters. The most important thing for the patient is the attention and support of close people.

In many cases, close people and friends prefer to refuse to communicate with a person in a depressed state due to his ill will and irritability. But his actions should not be taken personally, and, moreover, one should not make him smile or visit places where he does not want to go.

When a person who is in a depressed state sees that relatives and friends still trust him and want to help, it will be easier for them to convince him to go to a psychotherapist and begin treatment. Therapy and drug treatment will not turn a person into a “vegetable” at all, as many people still think. Far in the past there was also a placement in a hospital – today only people with really serious mental illnesses get there. Modern antidepressants can restore the broken chemical balance and return a person to normal life.

Depression does not go away on its own, as some people think. Like any other disease, it requires close attention from the patient and his family. Its danger lies in the fact that for a long time it flows in a latent form, and the patient can deceive himself and even be ashamed of him. But sooner or later it will begin to have a negative impact on all spheres of human life. Therefore, mental health requires no less serious attention than physical.

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