Depression affects each person in different ways but there are some common symptoms
Do you recognise any of these symptoms in yourself or others?
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Inadequacy
• Anxiety
• Self-hatred
• Negativity
• An inability to enjoy things which were once pleasurable in life
• Guilt
• Agitation
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Loss of energy or motivation
• Loss of sex-drive
• Disturbed sleep
• Poor concentration, indecisiveness
• Irritability, anger
• Social withdrawal
• Unexplained aches and pains
• Self-harm
• Recurring thoughts of death or suicide
Diagnosing depression
Everyone may experience some of the symptoms listed above from time to time. Doctors diagnose depression by looking at the persistence of symptoms and the extent to which they affect your daily life.
- Are these feelings persistent, meaning that they never seem to go away and don’t change much from day to day, even when there isn’t any particular reason for feeling that way?
- Do they interfere with your life, leaving you unable to enjoy things you normally like doing? In severe cases, depression can make normal everyday tasks like getting dressed or doing the shopping feel like an impossible mountain to climb.
Do you think you have depression?
If you notice that you have been experiencing some of these symptoms for over two weeks, that they are persistent and are interfering your work, study or home life, and you do not have any identifiable reason for feeling this way it is a good idea to see your GP.
Find out more about how depression affects your emotions, thoughts and behaviour and how depression can be treated. You can also take the self test on our sister website Look OK…Feel Crap? to get an idea if you have depression or investigate the support services available for depression on offer from Depression Alliance Scotland.