Everyone feels blue every once in a while, but if it lasts for a while, it could be depression. This is a very serious condition if left untreated, so you need to know if this is the case with you. Read over this article to figure out what you need to look for to know if you should see a health professional about your condition.
How to Know if You Have Depression
One sign that your depression is serious is if you’re crying over nothing. Sure, it’s good for everyone to cry when they’re sad, but if you’re crying over tiny things that you never used to get sad about, it could be depression. Ask those around you if they’ve noticed that you get upset more than you used to.
Do you feel more sad than usual? It’s normal to feel sad when something goes wrong, or when we’ve lost something that means something to us, but it’s not normal to be sad constantly. Write down how you feel during the day and see if it’s mostly sad, and if that’s the case you may need to get help.
Have you noticed that you’re not doing the things you used to love to do any more? If you used to be a lot more active but now you don’t feel like doing anything, it could be a sign of being depressed. Our interests do change over time, but it’s not good if you’re finding yourself uninterested in doing anything you enjoyed doing recently.
People that are depressed sometimes eat more, or don’t eat enough. Look at what you’re eating during the day since you’ve felt you were more depressed than usual. Losing a lot of weight or gaining a lot of it can be bad for your health. If you feel like this is something that’s happening to you, it’s time to see a health professional.
Do you sleep more than you used to and have trouble getting out of bed to get through your day?
This may be one of the worst parts of depression because it affects your ability to work and maintain good relationships with others. You may also find that you’re staying up more than usual because your mind won’t “shut off” when you lay down. Changes in sleeping patterns can be devastating as well, so look at when you’re going to bed and waking up.
Feeling like nothing will ever work for you can be a sign as well. When you try to accomplish something, do you give up because you don’t think it will work out? Are you afraid that nothing will ever get better in your life no matter what? Feeling this way may lead to more serious problems, so it’s important to get to a doctor or a psychiatrist quickly when you start feeling this way.
Maybe you’re just struggling with something like a loss, or it just popped up one day, but depression can be devastating. It can happen to anyone on this planet, but the good news is there are ways to deal with it. Figure out if you’re suffering from depression by using the guide above and discuss the findings with your doctor.