Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Some people experience only a few symptoms; some people suffer many. The severity of symptoms varies among individuals and also over time.
Self-perception
-Distorted self-perception
-Low self-esteem
-Self-hatred
-Self-loathing
-Highly self-critical
-Guilt
-Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day about things they have no control over
-Helplessness
-Excessive or inappropriate guilt about things they have no control over
-Fixation on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren’t going right
-General negativity; you can’t control your negative thoughts, no matter how much you try
Appetite/Weight
-Increased appetite
-Loss of appetite
-Significant changes in weight when not attempting to gain or lose
-A gain or loss of 5% or more in a month may be indicative of depression
-In children, this may also present as a failure to make expected weight gains
-Some may crave certain foods — like carbohydrates — and gain weight
Sleep Disturbances
-Insomnia, (inability to sleep) nearly every day
-Hypersomnia (sleep too much)
–Early-morning awakening and inability to go back to sleep
-Increase or decrease in the need for sleep, you have a decreased need for sleep or you feel rested after only 3 hours of sleep
-Trouble falling asleep
-Trouble staying asleep
-Fatigue/Exhaustion/Tiredness or loss of energy nearly every day
-Loss of energy
-No matter how much you sleep, you may still feel tired or worn out
-Feeling sluggish/physically drained
-Entire body may feel heavy, even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete; even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort
-Getting out of the bed in the morning may seem very hard, even impossible.
-Have you ever been able to go for days without sleep and yet not felt tired?
Psychomotor Changes
-Psychomotor (movements) agitation or retardation nearly every day or (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down)
-Psychomotor agitation or restlessness by pacing or by holding multiple conversations simultaneously
-Retardation, physically slowed down in their movements
-Restlessness
-Pacing
-Hand-wringing
-Inability to sit still
-Slowed thinking
-Slowed speaking
Sadness
-Crying spells for no apparent reason
-Persistent sadness
-Anxiety
-Feeling “empty”
-Feeling isolated
-Withdrawn
-Discouraged
-Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day. Feeling sad or empty or observations made by others (e.g. appears tearful).
Brain Fog
-Hard to concentrate
-Indecisiveness
-Distractibility, you experience distractibility in focusing attention too easily drawn on unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli
-Seeking distraction to avoid dealing with feelings or relationships
-Slowed thinking
Anger or Irritability
-Feeling agitated
-Low tolerance level
-Short temper
-Everything and everyone gets on your nerves
-Aggressive
-Sudden bursts of anger, possibly violence
-Frustration, even over small matters
Suicide
-Frequent/recurrent thoughts of death, dying or suicide
-Recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan
-Specific plan for committing suicide
Inability to function normally
-A marked impairment in your ability to function socially, occupationally, and/or educationally
–Working all the time
-Feel little sense of control over negative events
-Controlling, violent, or abusive behavior
–Your mood disturbance or change in functioning is noticed by others. Unequivocal change in functioning that is uncharacteristic of the person when not symptomatic.
Sexual Symptoms
-Infidelity or unhealthy sexual relationships
–Increased sexual drive, fantasies, and behavior.
–Unusual sexual behavior may include infidelity or indiscriminate sexual encounters with strangers.
–Problems with sexual function
–Unceasing and indiscriminate enthusiasm for interpersonal, sexual, or occupational interactions
-Lack of interest in sex
-The increase in goal-directed activity often involves excessive planning of, and excessive participation in, multiple activities (e.g., sexual, occupational, political, religious).
-Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities, such as hobbies or activities that were once enjoyed
-Unusual sexual behavior may include infidelity or indiscriminate sexual encounters with strangers.
Physical symptoms
Because these symptoms occur with many conditions, many depressed people never get help, because they don’t know that their physical symptoms might be caused by depression. A lot of doctors miss the symptoms, too. These physical symptoms aren’t “all in your head.” Depression can cause real changes in your body. For instance, it can slow down your digestion, which can result in stomach problems. Depression seems to be related to an imbalance of certain chemicals in your brain. Some of these same chemicals play an important role in how you feel pain. So many experts think that depression can make you feel pain differently than other people.
-Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment and/or that doctors may not be able to explain
–Unexplained aches and pains
-Headaches
-Back pain. If you already suffer with back pain, it may be worse if you become depressed
-Cramps
-Digestive problems, you might feel queasy or nauseous; diarrhea or chronic constipation that do not ease even with treatment
-Aching muscles
-Stomach pain
-Chronic pain that don’t seem to respond to treatment
-Problems with sexual function
-Migraine headaches, may seem worse if you’re depressed
-Muscle aches
-Joint pain
-Worsened chronic pain
Chest pain. Obviously, it’s important to get chest pain checked out by a doctor right away. It can be a sign of serious heart problems. But depression can contribute to the discomfort associated with chest pain.
-Dizziness
-Lightheadedness
-Because these symptoms occur with many conditions, many depressed people never get help, because they don’t know that their physical symptoms might be caused by depression. A lot of doctors miss the symptoms, too.
-These physical symptoms aren’t “all in your head.”
-Depression can cause real changes in your body. For instance, it can slow down your digestion, which can result in stomach problems.
Misc
-Racing thoughts
-Depression seems to be related to an imbalance of certain chemicals in your brain. Some of these same chemicals play an important role in how you feel pain. So many experts think that depression can make you feel pain differently than other people.
-Reckless behavior
-Risky behavior, such as reckless driving
-Escapist behavior such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports, spending a lot of time at work or on sports
-Alcohol or substance abuse, drinking too much, binge drinking
-Flight of ideas evidenced by a nearly continuous flow of accelerated speech, with abrupt changes from one topic to another.
-No longer enjoying music, art, or other things that had always been enjoyed
-Poor sibling relationships are linked with depression
Depression in Males …
-Downplaying signs and symptoms. You may not recognize how much your symptoms affect you, or you may not want to admit to yourself or to anyone else that you’re depressed. But ignoring, suppressing or masking depression with unhealthy behavior won’t make it go away.
–Reluctance to discuss depression symptoms. As a man, you may not be open to talking about your feelings with family or friends, let alone with a health care professional. Like many men, you may have learned to place an emphasis on self-control. You may think it’s “unmanly” to express feelings and emotions associated with depression, and instead you may try to suppress them.
-But without treatment, depression is unlikely to go away, and it may get worse. Untreated depression can make you and the people close to you miserable. It can cause problems in every aspect of your life, including your health, career, relationships and personal safety.
–Resisting mental health treatment. Even if you suspect you have depression, you may avoid diagnosis or refuse treatment. You may avoid getting help because you’re worried that the stigma of depression could damage your career or cause family and friends to lose respect for you.
-Male depression and suicide. Although women attempt suicide more often than men, men are more likely to complete suicide. Men may be more likely than women to complete suicide because:
-They use methods that are more likely to be lethal, such as guns
-They act more quickly on suicidal thoughts
-Men with depression often aren’t diagnosed, for several reasons. Some of them include:
–Failure to recognize depression. If you’re like many men, you may think that feeling sad or emotional is always the main symptom of depression. But for many men that isn’t the primary depression symptom. For example, headaches, digestive problems, fatigue, irritability or chronic pain can sometimes indicate depression. So can feeling isolated and seeking distraction to avoid dealing with feelings or relationships.
Depression, even if it’s severe, usually improves with medications or psychological counseling (psychotherapy), so don’t try to tough out depression on your own. If you or someone close to you thinks you may be depressed, talk to your doctor or a mental health provider. Have the courage to ask for advice or seek help when you need it.