WOX-XION

#10 Not a symptom but a warning: 1+1=3 Being sad isn’t a sign of depression when you are just, well, feeling sad. Neither is feeling exhausted after a bad week full of stress. But combined, over a prolonged period, any combination of signs of depression should raise some red flags. Especially if you have a history of dealing with darker clouds. It’s true when it comes to
It’s been said before. This top-10 isn’t about every thinkable sign of depression. Neither is it geared to a specific type of depression. The 10 listed over the last couple of weeks however, are the 10 most common symptoms of depression.
What you should do if you recognize a symptom? Dig a bit deeper. Like I said, one symptom doesn’t mean a thing. Neither does two. Sometimes even three different symptoms mean nothing at all. But it should raise your level of suspicion. Be alert. Watch for other signs or symptoms to show up. And… keep notes. You’d be amazed how useful a well kept history of depression symptoms is to a professional health care worker.
In doubt? Don’t take any risks here. Go and see your doctor. Not tomorrow but today. Time isn’t on your side when you are facing depression. The sooner you start the right treatment, the sooner you’ll see the dark clouds disappear.

#9 Talking about death. A lot. What many people do not realize is that depression can be a deadly disease. Unfortunately and sadly enough in two different ways. A number of depressed people end up committing suicide. A few even take others with them on their journey…

Let’s be realistic here. No one commits suicide overnight. It is often a well planned action – if you will excuse me the poor choice of words here. Meaning there is a period of time in which the patient will show signs of being suicidal.

Have you ever had a friend or relative take his own live? Looking back on that occasion, people often suddenly recognize occasions or signs and they kick their behind wondering how they could have missed these when they occurred.

There is however no reason to feel guilty. Even trained professionals sometimes oversee these subtle signs. They are often very well hidden and extremely hard to recognize.

What should raise a red flag however (well, 10 red flags) is if a depressed person starts talking about death more and more. Pay close attention (and make notes for the therapist!) when you see a pattern building up. We all have our moments when we don’t want to be here anymore. But that’s harmless self-pity. You should stop doing that. But that’s all. A depressed person however might just mean business.

#8 Having trouble concentrating That’s what it is commonly called, having trouble concentrating. But that’s not a very accurate description. In fact, it’s more like a growing inability to keep track of things. Things in every day life, in your professional career, in keeping in touch with close ones like friends and relatives. It’s all about becoming more and more disorganized instead of having trouble concentrating. It often comes with another sign of depression: a bad memory. It’s all part of loosing track.

#7 Being (extremely) irritable We all are irritable every now and then. And some seem to be irritable 20 hours a day – it’s character flaw :).
If you are not one of these ‘characters’ but feel you are more irritable then you used to, it may as well be a sign of depression. Remember however, many depression experts regard this to be a ‘weak sign’. Meaning that being irritable and being short fused for a period of time can have many causes.
Heck, if the Dolphins lose, half of Miami is irritable.
There should be some red flags when being irritable comes with other symptoms: feeling restless for example or even with 100% physical symptoms such as pains that seem to come from nowhere.
It’s been said before in this series of sings of depression: it’s always a combination of symptoms that has to be read and understood before the situation can be properly diagnosed. If in doubt, don’t hesitate, but go and se your doctor.

#6 Total loss of self-worth This one is dangerous. Once you’ve convinced yourself you should feel overwhelmingly guilty and a 100% to blame over something (whatever, self-inflicted or circumstantial) you’ll soon start feeling extremely sad. In fact, it won’t take long before you feel like you do not deserve to be happy. And before you know it, it goes a step further: you feel like you don’t even deserve to be around in this world….

This total loss of self-worth isn’t going to show overnight. It’s a silent killer. A sniper that will hunt you down until you give in… or put up a fight. If you decide to fight it (and you should!) you probably want to seek help from friends and professional experts. The longer you ignore the symptoms, the harder the battle you’ll have to fight.

#5 Sleep and eating disorders Pay special attention to the word ‘disorder’. Read: it can go both ways. Sleeping too much can be a sign of depression, but so can sleeping too little. Same with food. Both losing and gaining appetite are known to be symptoms of depression. And it can get extreme. No sleep or sleep at all for a couple of days. Normally these are pretty strong signs something is going wrong. Not necessarily depression though. But in combination with other symptoms of depression, the signs are getting pretty alarming.

#4 Losing interest in enjoyable things One of the major symptoms of depression is losing interest in normally enjoyable activities. Things like fishing, hanging out with the boys, playing ball on a Sunday afternoon, reading a book – whatever your hobbies are. And almost the same: not being able to enjoy those little, simple things in everyday life – like the smile of a child or a breathtaking sunset.
Pay especially close attention when you (or someone else) start avoiding get-togethers with close friends and relatives. Are you backing out because you are just tired or is your action just a disguised cry for attention? And if you are ‘just tired’, ask yourself if you really are that tired…
Oh, and by the way: on how many get-togethers did you pass this last month?

#3 Fatigue. Plain, old fashioned fatigue. Feeling tired getting up in the morning, feeling tired hitting the sheets. Close to feeling exhausted. Both physical and mental. And probably without being to able to pinpoint where this 24/7 feeling comes from.

When there is no medical problem and this feeling of exhaustion lasts for several days, even if you slowed down a bit and have taken some days off, you have a very good reason to see your doctor. It’s a major sign of depression.

It isn’t too hard to explain why feeling tired can be a sign of depression. People suffering from depression, lose interest in every day life. Everything they do, feels like a waist of time. It’s a burden. Even activities that used to lift their spirits, end up being an energy drain.
And that isn’t all. People suffering from depression tend to have their eating and sleeping pattern disturbed. That is an energy drain itself.

It’s a combination of factors why old fashioned fatigue can be considered a sign of depression.

#2 People start to pick up signals. How often have you been asked “Are you ok?” for the last couple of weeks? More then usual? If that’s the case, maybe you should start investigating if you recognize some other signs of depression as well.

Fact is, most people that really know you well, have a pretty accurate radar. Without being fully aware of your situation, they may just pick up signals that you haven’t picked up yet. Listen to these people. They may be right…

On the other hand, if you think some one close to you is depressed, ask him of her how often he or she has been asked that question. It sounds too simple to be true, but trust me, it’s a pretty good indication if it’s time to take action.

This list isn’t about all signs of depression. In fact, there are many more. This list however, is about the 10 most common ones. Signs and symptoms we should all learn to recognize and read.
Why? Because in the end, it can saves lives.
This list of 10 symptoms isn’t geared to a specific type of depression. Therefore it isn’t true at all that a patient has to show each and every symptom to be diagnosed depressed. Two is the number to get alert. Three is a reason to take a real close look. Four is the number to seek help.

#1 Prolonged period of sadness. You saw that one coming didn’t you? Pay special attention to the word ‘prolonged’. Heck, we all feel sad every now and then. A day. Two days. Sometimes even more. It’s getting serious and dangerous when this feeling lasts longer. A week is a wake up call. Try to figure out where this mood comes from. If you can’t explain the source, see if you recognize more signs of depression. No need to panic yet, but time to some homework.

Stay tuned for more…