We often tend to romanticise the term ‘depression’. We like to conveniently use it without really realising that there is a thin line between ‘being sad’ and ‘being depressed’. With the recent statistics, it is clear that depression is one of the most commonly experienced mental illness condition in India. But despite the frequency, it can be difficult to tell whether you are experiencing a phase of sadness or suffering from a bout of depression. So the next time you are feeling low, these signs will help you identify whether you are actually depressed.

Thoughts and Feelings

Coming to sadness, it is an emotion which must not be dismissed. Sadness can give you a bleak overall outlook on many areas of your life. However, if you are depressed, you may experience many other symptoms. That said, everyone who lives with depression experience different combinations of symptoms.

Depression is characterised by constant feeling of sadness and it is very different from the temporarily feeling of low. If you are suffering from depression, you may often experience an intense feeling of guilt, isolation, poor energy and concentration and very low self-esteem, all of which have a huge impact on your day-to-day life. Many people who suffer from depression believe that they alone experience these symptoms, but this is really not the case. Here are 5 shocking facts about depression and suicides in men. 

Behaviour

Behaviourally, if you are depressed, you might feel extremely detached from others and avoid usually enjoyable social events and enjoyable activities. You may also find yourself crying regularly or even see an increase in alcohol, tobacco and drug addiction. On the other hand, sadness is not related to any of these behavourial changes. Higher use of social media is linked to depression in girls. 

Physical Symptoms

When you are depressed, you might also notice a sudden increase or loss of appetite. Increased feelings of aches and pains, constipation, low sex drive, disturbed sleep patterns and menstrual cycle changes are some of the other physical symptoms related with depression. When you are sad, you might just feel weak in your knees and that is just about the physical symptoms of sadness.

You do not have to experience all the symptoms to classify yourself as depressed. In fact, the reality is far from it. If you feel that you are experiencing four or more of these symptoms daily for two weeks, it is best that you visit your doctor to discuss your condition further.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 05, 2019 08:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).