By Florie Mwanza
Despite how common depression is, it can easily be ignored or misdiagnosed, which is harmful because when left unchecked, the mood disorder can be debilitating. People can live a normal life with depression if they get the help they need, but it can be hard for a lot of people to even admit they have mental health issues.
Depression manifests itself in many different ways that are subjective to each sufferer, and while you may know the physical symptoms of depression, there are a few common psychological signs you should never ignore. According to Dr. Rafael Euba, a consultant psychiatrist from The London Psychiatry Centre, the following are a few signs to look out for.
Here are 4 subtle psychological signs you’re depressed:
1. Loss of interest
An inability to enjoy the things you once found pleasure in, coupled with a loss of interest in your usual social activities, such as spending time with friends, is one of the major signals that you’re withdrawing into yourself. You want to be excited about your hobbies and the people in your life, but you just can’t seem to care.
2. Fatigue and sleeplessness
Whether or not you’re conscious of it, the weight of thoughts and worries on your mind can lead to sleeplessness and insomnia, because you’re unable to switch off. All you want to do is just go to sleep and escape the world for a while but at the same time, you can’t go to sleep because of all of the thoughts in your head.
3. Severe mental reactions
While you may be experiencing indifference and a sense of joylessness, you might find that your reaction to negative news produces a heightened reaction that may lead to increasingly emotional reactions or preoccupations with the issue. It feels like everything makes you angry.
4. Persistent pessimism
Although feelings of hopelessness, irritability, and sadness are all part of the human experience, the key to spotting them as a symptom of a deeper issue is to realize when they go on abnormally longer than usual, for weeks or several days.
There is joy in life, and you can always find your way back to it.
If you or somebody that you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, there is a way to get help. Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text “HELLO” to 741741 to be connected with the Crisis Text Line.
Florie Mwanza is a freelance writer and former associate editor at PopSugar. She has been featured in Yahoo Life, Cosmopolitan (UK), Refinery29, and more.
This article was originally published at PopSugar. Reprinted with permission from the author.