What Are the Lesser-Known Symptoms of Depression?
Are you struggling with your mood, wondering: do I have depression? Or perhaps you’re concerned that a loved one might be depressed. Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders. In fact the World Health Organisation estimates that 5% of adults live with it around the globe. But as common as it is, depression can present differently in different people, and the symptoms of depression are not always obvious to outsiders. For example if a loved one’s symptoms of depression manifest as irritability or disinterest, you might assume they are angry with you, rather than depressed. Read on to identify the lesser-known depression signs, and what you can do if you think you may be depressed.
What depression is (and isn’t)
Sometimes, fleeting feelings of sadness or grief can be misinterpreted as depression, causing a person unnecessary worry. So it is important to know what depression is and isn’t. For instance, while grief and sadness can be part of or develop into depression, these feelings in and of themselves don’t constitute depression as a mental health condition. In this life we will all suffer loss, disappointment and feelings of frustration, which will often be fleeting and shift as our circumstances change. In order to build confidence and resilience, it is important not to pathologise normal human emotion, and to learn how to embrace discomfort.
However, depression is a mental health condition that if left unaddressed can become worse and cause a host of unwanted cognitive and physical effects.
So what is depression and how can we learn to spot it?
Dr Agnieszka Klimowicz, Consultant Psychiatrist says: “Depression (also referred to as clinical depression, major depression, or major depressive disorder) is generally diagnosable when someone has suffered a low mood for a fortnight or longer, accompanied by other problems such as disinterest in things you would normally take joy in, a lack of energy or a sense of emptiness.
“Most people know the ‘typical’ picture of depression: low mood, a tendency to withdraw from people, and so on. But there are lots of other potential depression signs that many people are unaware of. It’s helpful to know them so you can better spot depression, to help yourself or a loved one.”
Read on to learn more.
Symptoms of depression
When looking for symptoms of depression, it is important to know that major depression not only impacts how someone feels and thinks. It is likely to affect how they behave and – particularly in severe depression – can take a toll on the body too. Below is a list of symptoms of depression, including those that people tend to be less aware of.
- Lack of motivation
- Little or no interest in things you enjoyed in the past
- Persistent sadness or low mood
- Tearfulness
- Having little physical energy
- Decreased sex drive
- Withdrawing from friends and activities that involve others
- Being easily irritated or quick to anger
- Struggling to make decisions
- Feeling bad about yourself, with a lot of negative self-talk
- Poor sleep or sleeping too much
- A sense of impending doom, hopelessness or helplessness
- Withdrawing from hobbies and interests
- Feelings of anxiety and worry
- Poor short-term memory
- Thoughts of ending your life or hurting yourself in some way
- Difficulty concentrating
- Slowed movement and/or speech
- Constipation
- Inability to experience joy
- Relationships with family, coworkers or friends more strained than usual
- Repeated feelings of guilt and shame
- Pains and aches without a clear cause
- Shifts in your menstrual cycle
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Undereating or overeating
- Increased alcohol intake/substance use
- Greater propensity for reckless behaviour, perhaps with a sense of meaninglessness (‘nothing matters anyway’)
Are your symptoms of depression just not going away?
Knowing the symptoms of depression is important because if you are suffering with the disorder, getting access to support as early as possible is crucial. Leaving major depression untreated can cause the condition to get worse in the long run. In addition, physical complications can arise. For instance, adults with depression are more likely to suffer heart disease or stroke. This is why, here at The London Psychiatry Centre, we offer a cardiovascular screening programme in association with Dr Robin Roberts, Consultant Cardiologist. Effectively dealing with the symptoms of depression means taking a ‘whole person’ approach to health. And the sooner you seek treatment, the better.
How to treat symptoms of depression
If you have been battling symptoms of depression, help is at hand. There are a number of evidence-based ways to deal with depression, including:
- Talking therapies like CBT and EMDR
- Carefully prescribed antidepressant medications if appropriate
- Targeted lifestyle adjustments including a better nutrition plan and regular exercise
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) – a ground-breaking, pill-free and pain-free way to beat depression
A pill-free, pain-free way to beat depression
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a revolutionary pain-free way to treat depression without pills. It involves harnessing magnetic energy to stimulate parts of the brain that govern mood.
Your brain is an electrical organ that works through the transmission of signals sent and received via nerve cells. rTMS treatment functions with your body’s own inherent processes by simply increasing the number and frequency of transmissions to help improve mood.
The treatment has been highly effective in beating the symptoms of depression. Here at The London Psychiatry Centre, we pioneered rTMS in the UK and have the most experience in delivering it. Our centre boasts significantly higher success rates than other clinics.
Many of our rTMS patients struggled for years with symptoms of depression and come to us as a last resort after trying talking therapies and antidepressant medications elsewhere. rTMS is especially life-changing for people with treatment resistant depression or for those unable or unwilling to tolerate the side effects of antidepressant medications. Often, rTMS works where other interventions fail.
Many clinical trials and peer-reviewed medical papers have supported the value of rTMS in beating the symptoms of depression. Years of research and patient work has demonstrated it to be a considerably safe treatment, with very low risk of side effects. rTMS is non-invasive, requiring no needles or anaesthetic and comes without the side-effects commonly associated with antidepressants (lowered sex drive, stomach problems and so on). rTMS is an outpatient procedure that takes just over half an hour per session.
Are you battling the symptoms of depression? Sick and tired of living below your best? The London Psychiatry Centre is one of the UK’s foremost centres for the treatment of depression. We take GP referrals and self-referrals and can offer video consultations to anywhere in the UK.
Make an appointment by calling 020 7580 4224 or email info@psychiatrycentre.co.uk.
