There is yet to be an acceptable figure of depressed people in the world. However, millions are depressed globally and the figures are higher in richer and modernised countries. For example, an estimated 19 million Americans suffer from depression, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The research has shown that 10 to 25 percent of American women, as well as 5 to 12 percent of men, will become clinically depressed at some time during their lives.
Unfortunately, depression is not an affliction that most people want to talk about, and this means that many of those who suffer from the condition do not seek help. When depression strikes, the effects can be debilitating and life altering, and remaining in denial will not lead to a cure. Yet many men and women who are stricken with depression refuse to admit they suffer from it. Instead, they blame their feelings on “having the blues” or simply being sad due to circumstances of life.
Although everyone gets down in the dumps from time to time, how do you know if you are actually suffering from depression? While there are many theories regarding signs and symptoms of depression, according to Forbes, there are 10 helpful ways to detect depression.
1. Being over-confident and fearless: Many people who suffer from depression, particularly those who are high achievers, cope with the condition by behaving in ways that are opposite of how they truly feel. Psychiatrists refer to these actions as “escapism.” Common behaviors of escapism include high risk activities or carelessness, like parachuting, mountain climbing or gambling with the rent money.
2. Increased alcohol consumption: Drinking alcohol is the most common way that people with depression choose in an effort to “self-medicate” and escape the emotional turmoil. Not only does this tactic fail to work, but could also lead to a developing a severe drinking problem in addition to being depressed.
3. Sexual obsession or exercise: Many who suffer from depression try to achieve excellence between the sheets or on the treadmill. Sexual activities and working out at the gym can provide a temporary feeling of euphoria that keeps symptoms of depression temporarily at bay.
4. Anger issues: Do routine conflicts quickly escalate into fights? Feeling helpless is a very common symptom of depression. One flawed way suffers fight their way out of feeling helpless is to fight back when they feel the least bit threatened or challenged. If small things constantly enrage you, take it as a serious warning sign.
5. Suppressed feelings: Rather than feeling sad or unhappy, some people who suffer from depression turn off their feelings altogether. Choosing to not care about the people around you, or about the outcome of events and decisions, only serves to ward off pain for a little while. Closing off your feelings can also alienate people from you, and damage valuable relationships.
6. Excessive socializing: While many people with depression would rather be alone in their misery, others immerse themselves in a flurry of social activities. This is a temporary fix—staying busy and being in a social whirlwind is a short term way to escape symptoms of depression.
7. Inability to concentrate: Daydreaming and lack of concentration effects even those people without depression. If you spend a significant amount of time daydreaming and fantasizing, instead of being grounded in reality, you may have a problem.
8. Trouble accepting praise or goodwill: People in the throes of depression have low self esteem; therefore they have trouble accepting praise, kind gestures, or compliments because they feel they don’t deserve them.
9. You work harder but not smarter: Depressed people have a hard time seeing easy solutions to routine or simple problems causing them to work harder to accomplish even the smallest of tasks.Uncontrolled emotions: People who are depressed tend to over-react to minor incidents, but ignore catastrophic news. This emotionally out of sync behavior is called “inappropriate affect” by psychiatrists, and refers to behavior that is opposite of the emotional reaction an incident normally triggers. As an example, a depressed person could express no emotion if a parent dies, but cry uncontrollably while watching a faraway minor disaster on the nightly news.
10. If you have symptoms of depression, do yourself and your loved ones a favor by seeking professional help. As one of America’s most influential psychologists, Abraham Maslow said, “What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.” Admitting you have a problem is the first step.
