It’s perfectly normal for most people to feel ‘down’ from time to time. But sometimes these feelings become overwhelming and lead to a far more serious condition so we’re looking at symptoms of depression.

Depression is a debilitating disorder – people living with it often withdraw from everyday life. It’s also known as clinical depression, major depression and depressive illness. Sadly, many people with depression believe that they are somehow weak and should be able ‘to pull themselves together’. But the truth is that depression can affect absolutely anyone – people of all walks of life and all ages live with depression every day.

The good news is that there is no need to struggle on alone. If you feel depressed, it’s important to seek help right away. It is possible to overcome depression even if it doesn’t feel like it now.

The signs and symptoms of depression

The symptoms of depression can affect all areas of a person’s life. They vary a lot from one person to another – if you’re concerned that you’re depressed, don’t feel that you need to be experiencing all of the symptoms listed to get help.

Symptoms of depression continue for weeks or months. Symptoms include:

  • Feeling very low, sad and often tearful
  • Feeling hopeless and helpless – you might find it difficult to make everyday decisions
  • Low self-esteem and guilt
  • Feeling irritable and intolerant
  • No motivation or enthusiasm to do anything or enjoy life
  • Anxiety and worry
  • Thinking about suicide or harming yourself

Depression has a considerable impact on general health, so you may experience physical symptoms such as:

  • Moving or speaking in a slower way than usual
  • Loss of appetite and weight (although some people living with depression will overeat and gain weight)
  • Constipation
  • Unexplained aches and pains
  • Persistent tiredness
  • Reduced or no sex drive
  • Changes to your menstrual cycle
  • Finding it difficult to sleep and feeling worse in the mornings

If you have any of these symptoms of depression, contact Step One in Javea now.