What are the first and most common symptoms of depression?

Question

Someone close to me has been feeling down for a while, anyone know what the 1st and most common symptoms of depression are usually?

Answer 1

You feel miserable and sad.
You feel exhausted a lot of the time with no energy .
You feel as if even the smallest tasks are sometimes impossible.
You seldom enjoy the things that you used to enjoy-you may be off sex or food or may 'comfort eat' to excess.
You feel very anxious sometimes.

You don't want to see people or are scared to be left alone. Social activity may feel hard or impossible.

You find it difficult to think clearly.

You feel like a failure and/or feel guilty a lot of the time.

You feel a burden to others.

You sometimes feel that life isn't worth living.

You can see no future. There is a loss of hope. You feel all you've ever done is make mistakes and that's all that you ever will do.
You feel irritable or angry more than usual.

You feel you have no confidence.

You spend a lot of time thinking about what has gone wrong, what will go wrong or what is wrong about yourself as a person. You may also feel guilty sometimes about being critical of others (or even thinking critically about them).
You feel that life is unfair.

You have difficulty sleeping or wake up very early in the morning and can't sleep again. You seem to dream all night long and sometimes have disturbing dreams.

You feel that life has/is 'passing you by.'

You may have physical aches and pains which appear to have no physical cause, such as back pain.

It's this wealth of depression symptoms, and the broad scope that confuses many people as to what depression actually is. Explanations rarely cover all the symptoms, and everybody's experience is different.

Answer 2

Depression is usually diagnosed if five or more of these symptoms are prevalent for most of the day and have been a problem for a period of two weeks or longer:

Fluctuating appetite
Weight loss or weight gain
Chronic fatigue
Chronic pain that is not caused by physical illness or an injury
Difficulty concentrating, difficulty making decisions, and/or memory loss
Guilty feelings, helplessness, worthlessness, and feeling hopeless
Anxiety accompanied by a sad or empty feeling
Loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyed
Irritable and restless
Insomnia or too much sleep
Thoughts of death and suicide

Answer 3

Feeling "down", no energy and a lack of interest in activities they usually enjoy are the most common signs. They have to last longer than 6 weeks to be classed as clinical depression though.

Answer 4

Symptoms of Depression
One of the most recognized symptoms of depression is a profound feeling of sadness, hopelessness, or emptiness. You may be surprised to learn that people with depression often experience physical symptoms too.

Answer 5

Depression

* Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
* Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
* Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
* Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
* Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
* Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
* Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
* Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
* Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
* Restlessness, irritability
* Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain

Answer 6

Common symptoms include:

* Depressed mood.
* Inability to enjoy activities.
* Problems concentrating.
* Changes in eating habits or appetite.
* Weight gain or weight loss.
* Changes in sleeping habits.
* Difficulty going to work or taking care of your daily responsibilities because of a lack of energy.
* Feelings of guilt and hopelessness; wondering if life is worth living (common).
* Slowed thoughts and speech.
* Preoccupation with thoughts of death or suicide.
* Complaints that have no physical cause (somatic complaints) such as headache and stomachache.

Answer 7

It takes more than one symptom to equal depression. Most people start off feeling tired or sick.

Answer 8

Please see the webpage for more details on Depression. You can search for articles on Adolescent depression, Dysthemia (chronic depression), Depression-elderly, Major depression, Post-partum depression, Bipolar disorder-depressed and Depression signs in teen agers in this website noted below.

Answer 9

It all depends on the person. When I am dealing with it or not.... I feel all alone. Blue, push people away.

Answer 10

eating too much/little
sleeping too much/little
loss of interest in normal activities
loss of interest in appearance