When it comes to our mental health, depression is probably the worst disorder imaginable. Depression is a very devastating condition that can take a toll on every aspect of your life, but the problem is that many people don’t take it seriously.
However, the truth of the matter is that it is quite challenging to truly understand what depression truly puts a person through if you haven’t experienced it yourself.
Depression is an utterly hopeless state of mind, accompanied by a plethora of negative emotions like self-hatred, remorse, guilt, anger, and an impending feeling of doom. Depression can make people lose interest in everything, from their health and relationships to their job and hobbies.
Depression is also more common than you may think; according to the estimate of the WHO, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression worldwide. Furthermore, a significant number of people don’t even seek treatment for their depression, either because of the lack of proper support or because of the social stigma that surrounds mental health disorders.
Keep in mind that no matter how dark things seem right now, depression is one hundred percent treatable. However, if you want to minimize the damage it does to your life, it is important to seek treatment for depression at the right time. Therefore, here are eight signs that you should look out for in yourself and others around you. If you notice them, it’s probably time to seek treatment for depression.
An irregular sleep routine:
Depression impacts almost every aspect of your life in one way or another, but one of its more noticeable and direct effects is an irregular and unhealthy sleep routine. Depression and sleep have quite a challenging relationship. Some depression patients may have trouble getting enough sleep, while others may sleep too much.
Both of these conditions negatively impact your mental and physical health, and they can make your depression even worse.
Firstly, insufficient sleep can make you mentally fatigued, which makes it challenging for you to maintain a healthy mindset and combat day to day stress. Secondly, sleeping too much can also leave you drained, and studies also suggest that it can damage your cognitive reasoning.
Therefore, if your sleep is being affected because of depression, you should know that things are getting out of hand, and it’s time to consult a therapist.
You should also know that everyday trees can also make it difficult for you to sleep, which can exacerbate your depression. Therefore, you should look for natural ways to counter stress, and cannabis is an excellent option. Therefore, you should look for some weed vape pens, which are safer than smoking weed directly.
Irregularly fluctuating appetite:
Similar to its effect on your sleep patterns, depression can also cause irregularity in your eating habits. Some people with depression tend to have a decreased appetite, whereas some fall victim to eating disorders like binge eating.
Now, any irregularities in your diet can be extremely impactful on your overall health. If you are purging food and avoiding eating, you are depriving your mind of several much-needed nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and Omega-3s.
Binge Eating:
Binge eating is also very bad for your mental health. People with binge eating disorders usually aren’t eating anything healthy, and they aren’t only depriving their body of healthy nutrients, but they are loading it up with toxins that have to be removed. Moreover, binge eating is also very detrimental to your self-esteem.
Therefore, if your depression is starting to affect your appetite and makes your diet unhealthy, you need to consult a psychotherapist as soon as possible.
Loss of interest in everything:
Depression has a devastating impact on a person’s mentality, and it develops a hopeless mindset in them to the extent that they lose interest in everything. It doesn’t matter what you are trying to do; depression makes you feel bad about it.
When depression hits you hard, it can feel like a nightmare to do absolutely anything. No matter what you do, depression has a way of making you feel negative, which is why most people with depression lose interest in absolutely everything. Most of the time, they don’t even want to get out of bed.
Depression makes people lose interest in their friends, family members, health and well-being, career, and even hobbies. Depression can make your life drab to the point that you may feel dead inside.
Another reason behind this is that people with depression feel like they don’t deserve to be happy, and they might even actively sabotage anything that could make them happy. Moreover, people with depression feel like they are a burden on others, and hence they lose interest in hanging out with their friends and family.
Similarly, depression makes people lose interest in their career, they don’t care about their studies or their job, and every second of it can start to feel like hell. This obviously leads to productivity issues and bad performance at work or school.
Therefore, if you feel like nothing excites you anymore, and you are losing interest in everything you loved because of your negative mindset, you should understand that consulting a doctor is essential.
Increased suicidal thoughts:
In the worst case, depression can even lead to suicidal thoughts. This is one of the worst and most dangerous symptoms of depression, and if you even notice the slightest hint of it, you need to consult a therapist.
It is especially important for the people responsible for supporting people with depression to be on the lookout for signs of suicidal thoughts because most of the time, people with depression won’t try to stop themselves from thinking about suicide.
Furthermore, if someone with depression is ruining antidepressants, and they are under the age of 25, then the risk of suicidal thought can be elevated. Increased suicidal thought is a side effect of antidepressants, and you need to be very careful and alert about it.
Some people with depression may also try to hurt themselves differently, which is a very bad sign. Moreover, antidepressants can also increase suicidal thoughts in people younger than 25 years old; therefore, be very careful when using them.
Some people with depression might not try to commit suicide, but they may try to harm or hurt themselves. These are symptoms of severe depression, and it is essential to consult a doctor if you notice these symptoms.
Increased irritability and anger:
Depression is a complicated disorder, which affects different people in different ways. It can also impact men and women differently, and where women may also get irritable when they are depressed, increased irritability and anger are more common in men.
People with depression may lose their temper of seemingly insignificant things, and late on, they will also feel guilty about it, making their depression even worse. Therefore, if you feel angry all the time, at others and yourself, and you find it very difficult to control your anger when you are feeling down, it’s time to start looking for some form of treatment.
Emotional instability:
Depression is an extremely overwhelming mental disorder, and if it isn’t treated and you don’t get the proper support and care that you need, depression can make you emotionally unstable.
Depression can make it very challenging for you to get a grip on your emotions. You may feel overwhelmingly angry at one moment, and in the next instant, you may start crying uncontrollably. Moreover, when you are depressed, you may find yourself in episodes of extreme sadness and regret, making you cry uncontrollably no matter where you are.
When you are severely depressed, you feel like you are on an emotional rollercoaster, where your feelings and emotional responses may change at a moment’s notice. So, if you are experiencing similar mood shifts, and they are taking a toll on your life,
Your emotions seem to go up and down at a moment’s notice, and you don’t have any explanation for it. If you are experiencing similar mood shifts, you should start seeking treatment for your depression.
Changes in your overall personality:
Castle, depression can bring significant changes in one’s personality. You can even say that a person is different from their actual self when they are depressed. Depression can make you socially distant and introverted. It can lead to a pessimistic and overly-negative mindset. When you’re depressed, your mind has a way of taking everything negatively.
Depression can also decrease your self-confidence to the point that you aren’t even able to defend yourself. Depression causes you to underestimate your abilities, making you feel like you don’t have any worth.
However, it is important to understand that these changes that depression is causing in your personality aren’t reflections of your true self. You need to separate the disorder from your personality if you want to get rid of it. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an effective way to recognize these negative thought patterns and separate them from your personality.
Therefore, if you feel like your personality is becoming overly negative because of depression, you need to seek treatment.
Written by Thomas (thefunguys@afreakengineer.com)
Photo by Fernando @cferdo on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
