Sadness and disappointments are part of life. While it is normal to feel depressed after a serious event such as a bereavement, sometimes real discomfort sets in. This may be a sign of depression (also called a nervous breakdown), which requires adequate treatment to overcome it. So depression or just temporary sadness? Here are the unmistakable signs.
What is depression?
Depression is a mood disorder with several symptoms. When depression becomes a real nervous pathology, it manifests itself in the patient in the form of a characterized depressive episode. It is no longer a question of temporary depression when he presents symptoms daily or almost every day, for at least two weeks. The symptoms then begin to have an impact on the patient’s social and family life.
The symptoms of a nervous breakdown should not be confused with those of depression. Moreover, the depressive state of patients is often underestimated by their loved ones and by themselves.
There are several forms (types) of nervous breakdown:
- Seasonal depression
- Chronic depression
- Postpartum depression
- Hidden depression
- Severe depression, etc.
Depression can affect the elderly, children, adolescents and young mothers. In practice, this disorder can affect all people at any age.
This mood disorder causes the patient to experience abnormal fatigue and perpetual sadness, which are the most suggestive symptoms of depression. However, many other signs can be indicative of depressive disorders. Overview of the most common.
How to recognize a depression?
Intense sadness, a sign of depression
The first sign of depression is of course deep sadness, it is particularly painful, incomprehensible and overwhelming.
It can be accompanied by unexplained crying and a feeling of despair, the impression that everything is going wrong, that everything is dark, and that nothing positive can happen to us.
Of course, we regularly feel sad: life is not all about joy. But the bad mood always ends up passing… Except in the depressive. He is locked in his sadness which is almost permanent (as soon as he wakes up).
Note: depression, and the sadness that results from it, cannot be resolved by the consolation and affection of loved ones. “Normal” sadness will be sensitive to the comfort of others. Depression is so strong that only appropriate treatment (medication and psychotherapy) allows the person to get out of it, and only then will they be able to grasp a helping hand.
A loss of interest and pleasure
Normally, for example, we can feel sad or unhappy in our work, and say to ourselves “I can’t wait for the next vacation”, or “I can’t wait for my next job”. We always have a desire in our troubles, a desire for a change of scenery. Conversely, the depressed person will no longer even want anything else.
This loss of interest is characteristic of depression. It affects all areas of life. Thus, the small pleasures of everyday life such as listening to music, seeing friends, reading, etc. Disappear.
Everything seems even, dull, uninteresting. Life has lost all meaning, all taste. This symptom can lead some to have suicidal thoughts.
Great fatigue
Another unmistakable sign: intense fatigue, which is present even without having made any particular efforts. The person suffering from depression constantly experiences a feeling of lack of energy, which neither sleep nor rest can improve.
A life slowed down by depression
Depression causes a general slowdown. It therefore takes more time to complete usual tasks. The depressive is overcome by fatigue, he does not speak, he does not have the courage to do the activities he did before or to get involved in his work or social relationships (with his friends or family). The depressed person experiences a psychomotor slowdown in their daily life.
The person feels like they are no longer able to react. He has the impression of being out of step with the others: as if everyone was going at a different pace than him, were not on the same frequency.
Concentration disorders and depressive state
The person who suffers from depression also experiences intellectual fatigue which results in:
- A lack of concentration,
- A decrease in attention,
- A slowing down of the course of thought,
- Difficulty memorizing and memory loss, etc.
We have the impression that thoughts are slowed down, that we have difficulty thinking or expressing ourselves. So much so that some people sometimes wonder if they are not suffering from Alzheimer’s: but behind these “false memory lapses” hide real depressive problems.
Insomnia and other sleep disorders
In cases of depression, sleep is disrupted.
- Sleep is often of poor quality, shallower, very short and not very restorative.
- It is not uncommon to suffer from insomnia when depressed.
- Mornings are often marked by waking up very early, with the impossibility of going back to sleep.
- In other cases, on the contrary, the sick person has an excessive need for sleep (permanent desire to sleep). But this “too much” sleep is unsatisfactory and rather stupefying.
Reduced libido
Sex life is affected in cases of depression. Sexual desire and pleasure may diminish or even disappear. Performing the sexual act then becomes difficult. As a result, the spouse sometimes has the impression of being neglected, which accentuates the tension in couple life.
Self-esteem, guilt and depression
Also a sign of depression: devaluing oneself. The person thinks they are good for nothing and no longer has any self-esteem. The feeling of failure keeps coming back. This can even go beyond the professional context, to affect family life: the depressive thinks that he does not deserve his family life, that the love that others have for him is not justified.
This feeling can be added to a feeling of abandonment, uselessness, loneliness, excessive guilt and coexists with the feeling of not being loved by others, of having nothing to say that could interest them, of to be worthless…
The person suffering from depression analyzes the events of their life and the opinions of others from a systematically negative, pessimistic angle.
Loss of appetite
Depression is often accompanied by physical signs. We will mainly note the loss of appetite. Thus, preparing meals becomes a chore, their schedules become irregular, their composition unbalanced. Weight loss is often an important sign in establishing the diagnosis of depression.
On the contrary, some depressives have an increase in appetite with tendencies towards cravings (especially for sweets) and a change in weight which can lead to weight gain.
Somatic manifestations and chronic depression
Depression isn’t just in the head. These are also physical symptoms. If fatigue, loss of appetite, and sleep problems are common, other somatic manifestations may appear such as pain such as:
- Headache,
- Pain in the joints,
- Digestive problems…
How do you know if you have depression?
It is very difficult to assess your psychological state yourself. This is why a medical visit to your general practitioner is necessary if you suspect a depressive disorder. Also, to speak of a depressive state, at least 4 to 5 symptoms must persist for at least two weeks:
- Unusual fatigue
- Constant sadness
- Decrease in pleasure
- Irritability
- Social isolation
- Disinterest
- Hustle
- Devaluation of one’s own person
- Feeling of uselessness
- A decrease in alertness
- Sleep disorders
- Loss of appetite
- The occurrence of dark thoughts;
- In the most severe cases, suicidal thoughts.
How do you know if you are anxious, depressed or burned out?
The main symptoms of a nervous breakdown are sometimes similar to other disorders, such as anxiety disorder or burnout. It’s not easy to tell them apart, so this table can help clarify your situation.
| Symptoms | Depression | Anxiety | Burnout |
| Abnormal and perpetual fatigue | Yes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Reduction | Yes | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Sadness | Yes | No | No |
Treatment: what to do if you think you have depression? How to get out?
Faced with any symptoms suggestive of a depressive disorder, do not stay alone, consult your doctor, because you may be suffering from depression. Only he will be able to make the right diagnosis and help you find the right course of care. In fact, your doctor can refer you to an alternative medicine therapist (sophrology, hypnotherapist, etc.), a psychologist or even a psychiatrist.
In any case, to begin your recovery and achieve better mental and physical health, talk about your discomfort to one or more people you trust. Also, if someone offers you help, don’t refuse it. Loneliness and withdrawal will not help you get out of depression.
Untreated depression: a health risk
Rapid treatment is necessary, particularly in pregnant women. If the doctor diagnoses depression, it is strongly recommended to follow his therapeutic advice. In addition to psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy, the healthcare professional may prescribe antidepressant medications to reduce some of your symptoms. However, some antidepressants carry a risk of dependence, which is why the doctor chooses the most suitable medications based on your situation and your general state of health.
The helping relationship is essential to overcome depression and regain psychological balance. If the patient remains isolated and does not talk about their symptoms, depression can have serious consequences:
- Recurrence: it happens that depressive episodes follow one another, with periods of improvement which become shorter and shorter. We then speak of recidivism. If the patient follows the recommendations of his doctor, the risks of recurrence are greatly reduced, as is the suffering linked to depression;
- Residual symptoms: the patient’s depressive state improves, but certain disorders persist, such as sleeping and eating disorders, fatigue, anxiety, reduced self-esteem, etc. ;
- Chronic depression: when depressive disorders persist for more than two years, we speak of chronic depression;
- Suicidal thoughts: if the risk of suicide is high, emergency hospitalization is often necessary. Electroshock treatment can then be offered.
