Am I Depressed? Identifying Real Signs of Depression

Depression does not always look like doom and gloom. Depression symptoms show up as extreme irritability, shortness or impatience with people. Symptoms can even present themselves in a “pollyanna” kind of way. Which is someone who is extremely optimistic and blindly avoiding a presenting problem.

Because depression can show up in a variety of ways, the best way to know which avenue you can use to treat depression is by first understanding what type of depression you may have. Here are a few things to consider:

Significant Event

Consider if you have experienced any recent major or minor event. Try not to put any qualifier on this event. The description of “significant”, “major or minor” or “positive or negative” is relative to you as a person. For example, many women experience post-partum depression but consider having their baby as a positive experience. The result of depression does not necessarily matched the positive event they experience. Another example, someone obtaining the job of their dreams may suddenly bring up feelings of unworthiness which could potentially trigger depressive symptoms. Another example, someone who has secure attachment, moving out of an apartment may be categorized as minor insignificant event, but to someone who may struggle with insecure attachment, moving out of their apartment may be a significant event that brings them to a depressive state. Lastly a significant event, can be a change in seasonal weather. Make a note of any significant event and try your best to generalized your list.

Impact

I hear a lot of people say “I’m sad, I’m so depressed” when in reality one must meet a specific threshold to be diagnose with clinical depression. Consider the impact your depressive mood has made on your life. You can ask yourself, if your mood has made you change your daily or life routine. You use to go out more and now you prefer to stay in. You use to enjoy this hobby and now your mood has impacted your motivation towards this hobby. It can even present itself with an increase of activity. You use to purchase within your budget, but now you have increase your shopping beyond your budget. Or you are consuming more than usual. One of the key to determining what type of depression you may be dealing with may lie in its degree of impact.

Frequency & Duration

Lastly, consider the frequency and the duration of your depressive symptoms. Seasonally affective depression typically last the affected season. Post-partum depression typically last the the period of time immediately following childbirth. Dysthymia is considered a low-grade depression that is a constant part of life, but not as impactful as major depression. Manic depression typically shows up following a manic episode or if there is a co-occurring disorder. Determining the frequency and how long depressive symptoms last, will help in pinpointing the type of depression.

I recommend seeking a trusted professional mental health provider for a proper diagnosis and treatment for your presenting symptoms.

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