CHERYL A. MAJOR: Depression Signs and Symptoms

Cheryl A. Major is a volunteer contributor at Westford CAT. If you would like to submit content or write an ongoing or occasional column, email news@westfordcat.org. 

How do you know when you’re just having a bad day and are stressed and irritable or if it’s something more serious? When is it actually clinical depression? While a doctor is the only one who can make a qualified diagnosis, there are some signs and symptoms of depression that can signal you may need to take a closer look at how you are feeling. What follows is a list of some of those signs and symptoms.

Morning Blues – According to medical sources, feeling particularly depressed in the morning is a sign that you may have depression. Feeling sad all day is also part of depression, but the morning blues – perhaps making you just want to stay in bed – are particularly likely to be connected with depression.

Anger – Many people don’t realize that recent research points to a connection between anger and depression. Blowing up and yelling at people without being able to control it may indicate depression.

Irritability – Slightly different from anger, irritability is more about feeling snappish or easily frustrated and/or annoyed than angry blow-ups. Irritability connected to depression may make you feel very much on edge all or most of the time.

Overwhelm – Do you find yourself wanting to give up because things seem like they’re just too much? Do you say, “I just can’t take anymore” often? Depression can make you feel overwhelmed and over-stressed even when your schedule is not terribly demanding. Even a simple request for you to do something may send you over the edge and make you feel stressed and really upset.

Feelings of Inadequacy – People with depression may constantly compare themselves to others. As previously mentioned, a not-too-demanding schedule may seem overwhelming to a depressed person, making you feel inadequate…feeling you can’t handle a schedule that others seem to handle with little or no problem. This can set up a vicious cycle of comparing yourself to others and feeling inadequate.

Insomnia or Excessive Sleepiness – Ironically, depression can cause some people to lose sleep while it makes others want to sleep all the time, (called hypersomnia).

Lack of Interest – Are you just not interested in any activities any more? Are things you once looked forward to just burdensome things you have to struggle with and get done? This may mean you are dealing with depression.

Changes in Weight – In another irony of signs of depression, both weight loss and weight gain may be symptoms of depression. Generally, if you gain or lose 5 percent or more of your body weight in a month, it may signal you are dealing with depression.

Indecision – Depression can make you feel like you can’t make a decision, even a simple one! Your schedule just seems so confusing when you look at it; you may not show up for things you have on your calendar or you may get dates mixed up. Everyone makes mistakes occasionally, but if this is a chronic problem or if you just can’t seem to get a handle on your schedule even when you sit down and try to figure out what to do and what to skip, it may be a sign of depression.

Inability to Concentrate – Depressed people often have trouble concentrating and focusing. Your mind may wander, even to thoughts of death or suicide, and you may feel like you just can’t get it together or take it any more.

My Symptoms of Depression – For me, when I lived with depression which I did for most of my adult life, my main symptoms were wanting to stay in bed, feeling impatient or defensive and chronic sadness.  The living with chronic sadness, which sometimes improved and often got worse was depressing in itself. It made me sad to realize how sad I was all the time.  I envied people who could really laugh and have fun.

I tried to hide my depression, and I’m told now by many that I did a good job of hiding it.  That in itself was a lot of work. Being depressed was not something I was proud of, and frankly, I was fearful people would think I couldn’t do my job if they found out.

I solved my depression by changing how I eat, and we’ll talk more about this in future articles. I’ve been free of depression for over 4 years, and I’m on a mission to share how I did it.  Here’s a secret for you…no drugs involved!

Cheryl A Major lives in Westford and is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Her TV show Thin Strong Healthy airs on WestfordCat and is an offshoot of her blog http://ThinStrongHealthy.com   Cheryl offers ongoing information and coaching to help you feel better and be healthier.  She is also a full time residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker with more than 25 years experience. 

Questions?  Email Cheryl at cheryl@thinstronghealthy.com and be sure to put Health Question in the subject line.  Your question and its answer will be included in a future article.