Depression is a condition that has, across the last few decades, become much less of a “guilty secret” than it used to be. These days, celebrities will talk about their experience of the condition. Sports professionals, for some time considered to be all physique and not so much with the deep thoughts and feelings, have opened up about their issues. All of which sounds positive, until you experience it yourself – because depression has a way of making you feel alone, and if you’re suffering with it you absolutely won’t care which movie star also has it. Many people don’t recognize the symptoms of depression.
One of the complicated things about depression, you see, is that it attacks people where they are most vulnerable. It affects your motivation (making it harder to seek treatment and see positives), and it isolates you from those you love, who are best placed to help you. Worse yet, a lot of the symptoms of depression can disguise themselves as just another part of life. If you expect the classic or cliched symptoms, such as tearfulness or thoughts of suicide, then you may see their absence as meaning that you’re not depressed. Below, we’ll deal with a few of the symptoms of depression that people don’t even realize are associated with depression.
Feelings of guilt that don’t match with reality
Many depressives report frequent feelings of worthlessness, which can easily become a deep apathy. What is less well-known is that a feeling of undue or unreasonable guilt can be a warning sign, too. It’s reasonable to feel guilty from time to time, if we’ve genuinely done something wrong. But if you are suddenly feeling racked with remorse for a minor transgression, particularly if it was long in the past, it can be a sign you feel that you deserve punishment. Your mind will be only too happy to mete out that punishment, which can demolish any self-esteem you had.
An uncharacteristic indecisiveness
Some people are naturally indecisive. If you have difficulty choosing whether to have tacos for dinner or pizza, and are otherwise in good spirits, then chances are, you just have no strong preference. However, if you are suddenly finding it hard to make any decision, there may be more than mere indecision at play here. People with depression often feel that any decision they make will be wrong, and are scared of the repercussions of choosing badly. This can be the case even for very trivial decisions, such as what to watch on TV.
Seeing the world through a fog
It is not known for sure why, but people suffering from depression are prone to see colors as duller than people who are not. Essentially, your color perception malfunctions, and everything can seem somewhat gray. If this is happening to you, it may be a wise idea to seek online therapy. These issues of perception may be a result of other aspects of depression, such as sleeping or diet issues; or they may be caused by the depression itself.
There are many potential symptoms of depression, and it is worth looking at different sources to learn more about them. If any of the above seem familiar to you, consider what else has been affecting you recently and look for help – depression can sink its claws in quite deep before you realize what you are dealing with.