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What are the warning signs of depression?
What are the warning signs of depression? Thanks for asking. In any given week in England, 3 in 100 people are suffering from depression, according to a Natsen social research study published in 2014. Depression can affect anyone, regardless of age or social class. But bear in mind that clinical depression is different from generally feeling down on a bad day. That's something we all experience.
What's the difference between feeling down and being depressed then?
Everybody experiences different moods. You might find yourself feeling happy during the day, sad at times, or even just okay. Those with mood disorders experience these same emotions, but for longer periods of time and with higher intensity. to the extent that it can affect their daily lives. Depression is an example of a mood disorder.
One major sign of depression is constant sadness, which is when you feel depressed most of the day and almost every day for at least two weeks. Other signs include a loss of interest in daily activities and activities that used to be fun, such as eating out, going to a football match or watching a movie.
and intense fatigue as soon as you wake up, which doesn't improve even after a restful night's sleep. Unlike feeling down, depression is a more permanent state of suffering that can leave you feeling cut off from others and isolated. What actually causes depression?
It's a mixture of various factors, such as genetics, which means that we are more likely to go through a depressive episode if one of our parents also had clinical depression. Another factor is chemistry, and in particular the balance between certain substances, specifically a lack of serotonin.
Then there are also emotional factors, such as the loss of a loved one or a breakup, and environmental factors such as work-related stress. Despite knowing these possible factors, researchers are still struggling to this day to untangle and explain the exact root causes of depression.
Apart from the three key symptoms that we have mentioned, there are other indications that you should bear in mind. Low self-esteem, excessive feelings of guilt, a negative, hopeless vision of the future and of life, thoughts about death in general and sometimes even suicide, a reduced ability to concentrate and loss of appetite.
Who can you turn to if you think you are suffering from depression?
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