Sad, Down or Depressed
Symptoms of Depression
People suffering from major depression have five or more of the following symptoms:
- Depressed mood – Felt for most of the day, nearly every day. A person may feel sad, empty or hopeless, or someone else may be noticing a person’s mood.
- Loss of interest or pleasure - Inability to experience pleasure. Not interested in previous hobbies, social activities, sex, etc.
- Appetite or weight change – Significant weight loss or gain. Decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
- Sleep changes – Either insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.
- Feelings of restlessness/agitation or feeling “slowed down”.
- Fatigue or loss of energy every day.
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive, inappropriate guilt nearly every day.
- Concentration problems – Indecisive, memory problems, or difficulty focusing.
- Suicidal thoughts.
If you find that you have a number of the above symptoms, but fewer than five, and not as frequent, you may be suffering from a milder form of depression.
Is counselling right for you?
Counselling can help you explore underlying causes of your depression and it can help you get in touch with some of the unrecognized emotions that trigger your depression. As you explore these triggers and the behaviour patterns that result, you can begin to feel better and make some desired changes.
