The DSM-5 lays out the physical symptoms of depression as well as other symptoms. Out of these, depressed mood and lack of interest in activities are extremely critical.
Other symptoms that people with depression typically experience include weight changes, insomnia or hypersomnia, fatigue, inappropriate guilt, repeated suicidal thoughts, loss of energy and appetite, lack of focus, etc.
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Depression is one of the common mental health issues that has severe consequences. These are in terms of the total years lost due to disability. As per WHO, the physical symptoms of depression affected more than 300 million people worldwide in 2015. This makes for 4.4% of the world’s total population. WHO ranks depression as the single largest contributor to global disability. Further, it is also a significant contributor to suicide deaths, totaling up to 8,00,000 in a year.
In addition to this, women are more affected by this mental health condition than men. Depression and associated disorders start at a young age, occur repeatedly, interfere with people’s routine functioning. Given its severe consequences, the need for controlling depression and associated mental disorders is on the rise.
This article talks in detail about the physical symptoms of depression. No doubt only a clinician or a certified medical professional can diagnose depression. However, certain indicators enable you to identify signs of depression in you or someone close.
What is Depression?
Depression is characterized by a depressed mood or lack of interest almost every- day. Depressed mood and lack of interest or pleasure in activities are the two most important symptoms of depression. This is different from the usual sadness or depressed mood which is bound to occur given life’s challenges. This is because it lasts for weeks and includes feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
Two of the critical depressive disorders include Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD).
Further, depression is three times more prevalent in individuals between 18-29 years than the ones 60 years and above.
Also, MDD may first appear at any age. However, the possibility of the onset of MDD increases manifolds with puberty. In the case of the United States, the onset is highest in the 20s. But, the first occurrence of MDD during late-life is also common. Now, the path of the onset of MDD varies across people. For instance, some people hardly see symptoms or experience mild MDD during a period of 2 or more months.
Whereas others may experience a few or no symptoms for several years but with symptoms coming and going.
men. Depression starts at a young age, occurs repeatedly, and interferes with the normal functioning of people.
What are the Symptoms of Depression?
Some of the physical symptoms of depression and other criterion symptoms must be present almost every day. Only then is depression considered to be present in an individual. Further, the symptoms of depression can be complicated and different among people. For instance, one of the important symptoms of MDD is two weeks. It is during this time that one has either a depressed mood or a loss of interest in almost all activities.
However, adolescents and children should have irritable moods in place of sadness.
Accordingly, the following are the physical symptoms of severe depression.
Physical Symptoms of Depression
The following physical symptoms of depression must be present during the same two-week duration for MDD to be present. In addition to this, some symptoms must bring about changes in the individual from the previous functioning.
1. Critical Weight Changes
A change in appetite may result in an increase or decrease in an individual’s weight. Many depressed people claim that they have to compel themselves to eat. On the other hand, others report that they tend to eat more and yearn for particular foods. For instance, sweets and other carbohydrates. Further, in the cases where there is a major change in the appetite, one may see significant weight gain.
Another common physical symptom of severe depression includes reduced energy, tiredness, and fatigue. Depressed people often claim to experience persistent fatigue despite much physical activity. Such is the case that even the pettiest of tasks need a good amount of effort. This results in reduced efficiency in tasks that are undertaken. A typical example of this is that the person showing physical symptoms of anxiety and depression may take twice the time for washing and cleaning in the morning.
3. Anger Over Small Issues
Many individuals with depression report or showcase increased irritability. This may include persistent anger and a pattern of responding to things with angry outbreaks. Further, the individuals may also be seen blaming other people and exhibit disproportionate frustration over petty issues.
4. Psychomotor Agitation or Retardation
This is another important physical symptom of depression and anxiety. This may include the following psychomotor issues.
Psychomotor agitation includes lack of ability to sit still, hand wringing, pacing, and pulling or rubbing skin, clothing, and other objects.
Depressed individuals may also experience retardation. This includes slowed speech, thinking, and body movements, increased pauses before answering, speech decreased in volume, amount, variety of content, or muteness. Now, such retardation must be chronic to an extent that it is noticeable by others and not just limited to subjective feelings.
5. Sleep Issues
Depressed individuals may experience sleep disturbances. These may include either finding it challenging to sleep (insomnia) or sleeping excessively (hypersomnia). People having a lack of sleep or insomnia may typically experience middle, terminal, or initial insomnia. Middle insomnia is a condition in which an individual wakes up during the night and then finds it challenging to get back to sleep. On the other hand, terminal insomnia is a condition in which an individual wakes up way too early and then is unable to get back to sleep.
Likewise, people with hypersomnia may witness excessive sleep during the night or daytime.
6. Other Physical Symptoms
There are a host of other physical symptoms seen in depressed individuals. These include reduced efficiency in completing tasks and reduced sexual drive. Some individuals also report bodily aches and complaints.
Psychological Symptoms of Depression
Apart from physical symptoms of severe depression, one also goes through certain psychological symptoms. These are as follows.
1. Depressed Mood
Depressed mood is one of the essential characteristics of depression episodes. You must note that depressed mood as a characteristic must be present for at least two weeks. This time of a minimum of two weeks is very critical.
And it is during this time that the individuals must experience either a depressed mood or lack of interest. In the case of children and adolescents, a depressed or sad mood is substituted by an irritable mood. Further, a depressed mood is marked by sadness, hopelessness, discouragement, or down in the dumps.
Now, in a few cases, depressed individuals may ignore sadness in the first instance. However, it may be observed and brought forth during interview sessions with the clinicians. Typically, sadness is observed by indicating that the person is about to cry.
Likewise, individuals may report feeling anxious or feelingless. In such cases, a depressed or sad mood is indicated through the individuals’ behavior and facial expressions. by symptoms of sever
2. Lack of Interest
Much like a depressed mood, loss of interest in activities is another core symptom of depression. Five or more symptoms must be present in the same two-week period mentioned above. And out of these symptoms, one of them must be either a depressed mood or loss of interest.
Accordingly, loss of pleasure is almost always there, to a certain extent. This may include people feeling a lack of interest in their favorite hobbies like reading, painting, etc. Thus, this is marked by feelings of not caring anymore or not enjoying the activities that were earlier considered pleasurable.
In addition to this, people close to depressed individuals may even observe social withdrawal or ignore their favorite hobbies.
3. Sense of Worthlessness
Depressed individuals may also experience a sense of worthlessness or guilt. This may include unreasonable negative assessment about oneself and one’s worth. Further, it may also include being preoccupied with thoughts of guilt or ruminating over petty failures in the past.
Thus, such people misunderstand minor, routine events as proof of some kind of personal defect. Also, such people feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility for unpredictable events. Accordingly, the feelings of worthlessness or guilt are out of proportion to the ones demanded by a given event.
For instance, a depressed individual may believe that he/she is responsible for the world climate crisis. Further, they also blame themselves for falling sick or being unable to meet interpersonal or work responsibilities. And such beliefs are unrealistic.
- Difficulty in Concentrating
Many depressed people also claim that they find it challenging to concentrate, focus, think or take small decisions. Their attention tends to get easily withdrawn and have issues with memorizing things.
Further, people engaged in work that demands cognitive abilities typically fail in performing such tasks. When it comes to children, a significant fall in grades may represent poor focus and concentration. Likewise, elderly people report difficulty in memorizing things and may even mistake it for early symptoms of dementia.
5. Repetitive Suicidal Thoughts
Repeated thoughts of death, suicide, or suicide attempts are common in depressed people. These may include a passive desire of not waking the next morning or that others would be at peace if the individual dies. Further, depressed individuals may get repeated thoughts of suicide, death, or may attempt to commit suicide.
To carry suicide without any hesitation, such individuals ensure that they have put things in order and taken things needed. This may include updating wills, settling loans and debts, etc. Or arranging for a rope or gun.
They have also selected the time and place where they will commit suicide. Now, one may wonder what encourages depressed people to take such decisions. These may include a wish to give up on the problems that seem unsolvable. These may also include a strong desire to put an end to what is understood as a never-ending and painful emotional state.
Such people do not find any reason to be happy or living. They get motivated to commit suicide with the thought of not being a burden to others.
Associated Characteristics Supporting Diagnostic Symptoms
As mentioned earlier, depression is linked to higher mortality. And suicide is taken to be the major reason behind that. However, suicide is not the only cause of death in individuals experiencing depression.
The other causes may include brooding, irritability, tearfulness, excessive rumination, phobias, anxiety, too much worry over physical health, and pains. These may include joint pains, abdominal pains, headaches, etc.
Further, children may face separation anxiety.
Risks and Factors Resulting In Depression
There exist several factors or risks that may predict the occurrence of depression in individuals. Some of these risks and factors are as follows.
The environment in which one is born and brought up may predict the occurrence of depressive symptoms in an individual. Unpleasant childhood experiences increase the risk of MDD in such people. Stressful events of life are identified as one of the predictors of MDD.
People with neuroticism have higher chances of experiencing MDD. Higher levels of neuroticism can lead to MDD in return to the stressful episodes in life.
3. Genes and Physiology
Individuals with first-degree family members having MDD have a two to four times risk of suffering from depression themselves compared to normal individuals. The risk is high with regards to early-onset and repeated occurrence of depression. Thus, there is a 40% chance of inheritance in which personality trait neuroticism has a major share.
4. Course Modifiers
You must note if a person has a non-mood disorder, the chances of him developing depression eventually increase. Further, major depressive episodes that one experiences against the backdrop of other disorders typically adopt a more stubborn path.
For instance, mental issues like anxiety, borderline personality, and substance use. These mental issues showcase depressive symptoms due to which they may remain unidentified or are identified late.
Similarly, a chronic illness may also increase the probability of depression. These may include cardiovascular disease, morbid obesity, diabetes, etc.
Diagnostic Issues Associated With Depression
1. Cultural Issues
Although surveys show differences in the prevalence rates of depression across cultures. However, these show consistency in terms of the mean ages of onset, female to male ratio, and the increased chances of comorbid substance abuse.
However, contrary to the common myth, there is no connection between cultures and the occurrence of specific symptoms. Depression goes unidentified in the majority of the countries. Further, depressed individuals report somatic symptoms like insomnia and loss of energy across most countries.
2. Gender Issues
It is a common belief that depression is more common among females than males. Whereas there exist no clear differences between males and females in terms of symptoms, treatment response, course, and functional consequences.
However, the risk of suicide attempts is more in females whereas the risk of suicide completion is lower.
3. The Risk of Suicide
There is a high risk of suicidal behavior that exists all the time in depressed individuals. The most constant risk factor is the history of suicidal attempts on the part of the depressed individual.
You must note that the most completed suicides have a history of successful attempts.
Further, there exist some other factors that are associated with suicide risk. These include being single or living alone, experiencing feelings of hopelessness, and being a male. In addition to this, borderline personality disorder also increases the risk of suicide.
Depression and Comorbidity
There exist several disorders that quite often co-occur with MDD. These include panic disorder, substance-related disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and borderline personality disorder.
Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder are two of the critical depressive disorders. These are characterized by sadness, emptiness, or irritable mood, and other cognitive and somatic changes. These significantly interfere with the routine functioning of individuals. Therefore, these depressive disorders must get identified and treated at the right time.