15 Signs That Can Judge a Person as Depressed.

Symptoms of depression are one of the topics that occupied the field of psychiatry in the recent time, as it is known that mental illnesses are more harmful than organic diseases, because organic disease can determine the location of pain and the main cause of the center of pain, but such things do not happen with mental illnesses in general.

Depression is difficult to notice clearly, especially in the initial stages of the onset of depression, but certainly there are a group of factors or symptoms that appear on the patient, but cases differ from one patient to another. But let's first try to understand what depression is scientifically.

What is depression?
Depression can be defined in general as a psychological disorder in which the patient feels very sad for a long time, completely disengages from pleasant or even traditional things, does not want to go to work, read newspapers, meet friends, or adjust to life.

Depression in other definitions is a mood disorder that involves a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest, which is different from the mood swings that people regularly experience as part of life.

Depression is not a weakness and you can't simply 'get rid of it'. Depression may require long-term treatment, but don't be discouraged.

Most people with depression feel better with medication, psychotherapy, or both.

Major life events, such as severe accidents, misfortunes, loss of a loved one, life trauma, loss of work, money, project failure, and other causes can lead to depression. Doctors also consider feelings of sadness as part of depression if they last for a while.

Depression is a continuous and not a transient problem that occurs from episodes during which symptoms last for at least two weeks, and depression can last for several weeks, months or years, but here we must ask ourselves an important question.

What is the Difference Between Sadness, Anxiety and Depression?

Some are unable to differentiate between sadness, anxiety and depression, and some even describe the sadness they experience as depression, well what is the difference?

Sadness: It is defined as that feeling that afflicts a person when exposed to some situations such as the death of a person close to you, the loss of a job or the end of a romantic relationship. More than two weeks unlike depression.
Anxiety: It can be defined as a feeling of pressure and constant fear that something might happen.

Anxiety and depression are two sides of the same coin, they are similar in that they are related to a low level of serotonin in the brain. It is believed that depression and anxiety stem from the same biological vulnerability, which may explain why they continue to go hand in hand. Since anxiety makes depression worse (and vice versa), it's important to seek treatment for both conditions.

From this, we conclude that there is a direct relationship to psychological causes and their impact on the physical factors of a person. Depression or anxiety increase the level of serotonin, but what is serotonin?

What is serotonin And its Relationship to Depression?

Serotonin is a type of chemical that helps transmit signals to the brain region and is one of the neurotransmitters in the brain that send signals between brain cells, and it is believed that a diverse group of brain cells, up to 40 million cells in the brain, most or some of them are affected by serotonin and therefore This substance has a direct effect on human health, such as:
- Mood.
- The behavior.
- Body temperature.
- Memory and learning.
- Sleep.
- Concupiscence.
- Appetite, digestion and bowel movement.
- Coagulation.
- Bone Health.

Research has linked a lack of serotonin to depression, as well as an increase in it to an improvement in mood, so drugs that increase serotonin in the brain have been adopted as antidepressants.

15 Signs of Depression.

Depression, like any other disease, has a set of symptoms that distinguish it. The following are the 15 most important signs of depression.

Physical and psychological symptoms of depression.

1. Sense of Worthlessness.
The patient feels a set of negative feelings, such as self-loathing or a constant feeling of guilt, and there are many situations in which he does not feel himself or that he has a separate entity and a strong personality.

2. Sleeping for Long Periods.
One of the distinctive signs of depression is sleeping for long periods, to evade the state of sadness and distress that the patient feels, as the duration of sleep is longer than the known normal range (6-8 hours), and this symptom extends for a period that may reach more than two weeks.

3. Extreme Difficulty Concentrating
Forgetfulness and loss of focus is one of the things that many suffer from, but it develops in cases of depression, as the patient forgets the simple details of his life or work.

4. Noticeable Changes in Appetite
The weight of a depressed patient changes by increasing or decreasing, as some tend to binge eat in cases of extreme sadness, while others refrain from eating.

5. Fatigue and Lack of Energy
The patient suffers from a lack of energy and a constant feeling of fatigue and exhaustion, so he cannot perform traditional tasks or exercise.

6. Agitation, Anxiety, Irritability
The mood of a depressed patient changes quickly without any compelling reasons, and he turns without introduction from a calm person to a violent person, because of his constant feeling of anxiety.

7. Not Feeling any Pleasure or Happiness
The patient loses his ability to enjoy the joys of life, even those things that made him feel happy become worthless, and the matter reaches the loss of his desire to have sexual intercourse, and the matter worsens with the continuation of the depression for long periods.

8. Feeling Hopeless and Helpless
The patient loses his ability to make the right decisions, in addition to his constant feeling of helplessness and helplessness, and begins to enter into bouts of continuous crying for no apparent reasons, and this crying is one of the strong signs of depression .

9. Feeling Some Pain Without Explanation
The patient feels many acute pains without any organic cause, such as neck and back pain and others.

10. Having Thoughts About Death and Suicide
Life closes its doors on the depressed patient, so he feels that there is no refuge for him except death, and suicidal thoughts crowd him, not only that, but sometimes he tries to harm himself, and of course a psychiatrist must be hired to overcome these symptoms, as it is one of the most dangerous symptoms of depression.

11. Aggressive
A depressed person tends to be aggressive, use violence, and want to harm others.

12. Criticism or Extreme Self-blame
A depressed patient always tends to criticize and blame himself even in the simplest of life situations, in addition to a constant feeling of shortness of breath after every situation.

13. General Isolation
The patient with depression feels a strong desire to isolate from others, even the closest people to him, and completely refrain from attending all social events.

14. Take a Lot of Medicine
This symptom is one of the least common symptoms of depression, as the patient tends to take a lot of medications without consulting a doctor, or take them a lot despite consulting a doctor.

15. Constant Waking Up at Night
Many people suffer from the problem of waking up continuously at night, as this problem is not only a symptom of depression, but it is a symptom of many other psychological diseases, and it has many causes, so you should consult a doctor if this is prolonged to assess your condition whether you are depressed or not.

You may feel at times that you suffer from depression, especially after reading these symptoms, but here I must note that you need to consult a specialist to diagnose the condition correctly and to know whether you have depression or not and to diagnose the situation correctly.

How Can Depression Be Treated?
The recovery rates of depression patients rise to about 80-90% when using a doctor to treat this disease, the sooner you go to the doctor, the faster the recovery rate, and the continuous follow-up helps the depressed patient recover and protect him from relapse.

Hmm. This piece is very informative and timely to say the least. Depression is very deadly if left unchecked. Guide your mental health very well cos once once one looses his mind, it becomes very difficult to retrieve.