When Feeling Low May Be a Sign of Something More Serious
Feeling low is a common experience when something bad happens. If your marriage breaks up, a loved one dies, or you lose your job, it is only natural to go through a period of feeling low. It is part of the human condition to feel a little out of sorts when something bad happens.
Sometimes, however, feeling low is a sign of a deeper more serious condition and it is important to be able to recognize the difference in yourself and in your loved ones. One needs to treat depression, like any other medical disorder, so that it does not develop into a life threatening condition.
So what are the signs that you are not just feeling low, but are actually depressed?
Length of the Symptoms
After a negative event happens, it is only natural to feel low for a while. You might get down for a week or two, not long after you have lost you job. If however, you still feel down after a month or so, this may be a sign of a more serious depression that you should treat.
Proportional Responses
If you lose your job, it is only natural to have a week or two where you’re feeling low. If, however, someone at work treats you poorly one day and you feel low about it for a week or two, this may be a sign of a more serious depression.
Interfering with Daily Life
If you are feeling low and it starts to interfere with daily life, this may be a sign of depression. If you’re depressed you may have difficulty falling at sleep at night because you can’t seem to stop your thoughts from working overtime but then also have difficulty getting out of bet in the morning because you can’t seem to muster the will to face the day. Simple tasks like getting dressed, taking a shower, and eating breakfast may seem overwhelming.
You may also have difficulty concentrating at work or school. You may feel as if you are operating underwater, as if all your experiences have slowed down or become diffused.
Loss of Interest
Depression may also result in the loss of interest in people and activities that usually give you pleasure. You might find that you no longer have an appetite or that you might have lost all interest in movies even though your friends know you as a movie buff.
You might experience a loss of interest in sex. If you are male, you might start to experience impotence. If you are female, you might find yourself unusually distanced from the sex act.
Medical Symptoms
You may also find that you’re more prone to getting sick. Depression may compromise the immune system and make you more vulnerable to the flu and other contagious deceases. You may get more frequent and intense headaches or stomach ailments. You may also feel more sensitive to light and temperature changes. Depression may also lower your pain threshold making you more aware of aches and pains throughout your body.
Panic Attacks and other Psychological Symptoms
Recent studies have shown a high correlation between depression and other psychological symptoms, especially anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorder, which most often manifests itself in panic attacks, often presents as a set of what seem to be physical symptoms. When someone has a panic attack they often mistakenly believe they are having a heart attack, because a panic attack will often manifest as a severe chest pain and an intense fear that you are about to die.
Suicidal Thoughts
Another symptom to watch out for is thoughts of suicide. If you find yourself thinking of possible ways of putting an end to your life and have actually started to think through what the best method of doing so is, this is a red flag that you should seek psychological attention immediately. Thoughts of suicide are the first step in planning and actually carrying out such a self-destructive act.
If you notice a friend doing things like giving away their things and saying their good byes you should also be concerned and seek to intervene. The suicidal person might actually seem happier during this final stage before suicide because they may see the end to their pain in sight. If you are at all worried, you should speak to contact the person’s loved ones and seek the consultation of a medical professional.
Treatments for Depression
If you notice these symptoms in yourself or in a loved one, it is important to seek medical help. Just as any other disorder, depression responds well to counseling and medication. The worst thing to do is to ignore feeling low when it is prolonged and severe.