What are the symptoms of depression?

There are three types of symptoms of depression.  These are the Psychological, Physical and Social symptoms.

Psychological Symptoms

Some of the common psychological symptoms of depression include the continuous feeling of sadness or being down.  Being depressed may also lead you to feel hopeless about almost everything.  This may also include the feeling of not being able to work or function well, nor even motivated enough to do so.  You may also simply be experiencing a lack of interest in anything.  Not being able to do things properly, or even do anything at all may result to a dive in your self-esteem.

If you are depressed, you might find yourself tearful even at a small thing that doesn’t usually bring you to tears.  You might also feel unsociable and even easily irritated by those people who surround you. With all these emotional problems, you may be unable to make your own decisions in life.  Instead of feeling joyful, you might find yourself feeling worried most of the time.  Even during what seem to be a joyous event, a person suffering from depression may only still remain unhappy.

In severe cases, a person suffering from depression might have tendencies to harm themselves.  This can even be fatal, if someone feels driven to suicide.

Physical Symptoms

People suffering from depression may display some common physical symptoms which are often easily noticed.  If you're thinking that you might be depressed, or know someone who might be suffering from it, then look out for these symptoms.

One of the most obvious symptoms is when you move much slower than you used to.  Your speech may even be slower than the usual.  There could also be a change in your eating habits.  Usually there would be a decrease in appetite, which could result in a loss of weight.  Others may want to eat more than ever, which could also lead to an increase in weight.  These are people who usuallystart 'comfort eating' as a way of trying to change how they feel.

Due to unhealthy eating habits and stress, you may be experiencing constipation.  You might also notice headaches and other bodily pains.  You may even feel that you have lack of interest and energy in sex.  In woman, some hormonal changes may even alter the menstrual cycle.

Sleeping problems are commonp with depression, especially in trying to get to sleep at night.  Due to the constant feeling of exhaustion, you may also find it hard to get up from bed in the morning.

Social Symptoms

The social symptoms of depression are about how a depressed person would behave, especially around others.   You may be wondering why your friend is suddenly acting differently around people.  This person might be showing social symptoms of depression.

A person who is suffering from depression could have a poor performance at work.  There might be a change in how they are able to function.  You might also notice your friend withdrawing her or himself from a social gathering or similarly from a bunch of friends or colleagues at work.  They may also be avoiding your company or being with just anybody for that matter.

You may also notice them having a sudden disinterest in their usual hobbies.  A person suffering from depression would lose interest in just about anything.  All these changes in their behavior could also result to some problems at home or in their personal lives.

Your friend might not have realized that she is already struggling with a mental disorder.  It helps if you will be able to talk to her and suggest that something may not be right.  Your friend might need treatment in order to help her get by and prevent her condition from getting any worse.

Original article: What are the symptoms of depression?.