Depression is a serious mental illness, which sadly is not recognized as a reasonable medical diagnosis by many individuals as well as by many medical doctors. That is why it is vital that you find a practitioner who believes in the seriousness of your symptoms and who works together with you to find a lasting solution to your problems. That is the type of practitioner you will find in our clinic, and we encourage you to make plans to visit us if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, especially if they have lasted for more than two weeks.
Sadness
This is often one of the first symptoms that you will experience, and you may first write it off as being due to something else. However, if you cannot shake this feeling within two weeks, you should seek help. Along with sadness, you may also feel discouraged, hopeless and generally down. You may have trouble feeling interested in activities that you used to enjoy and may even find it difficult to climb out of bed in the morning.
Feelings of Inferiority
Along with the sadness may come guilt and even self-loathing. You may not feel like a worthy human being any longer and may believe that nobody cares about you.
Lack of Energy
You may no longer want to exercise or care for yourself and may find it difficult even to get enough energy to climb out of bed in the morning or get a shower. You may leave home infrequently.
Poor Eating and Sleeping Habits
Many people lose their appetites when they are depressed while others gain weight unexpectedly. While feelings of tiredness despite getting plenty of sleep are very common, others experience insomnia instead.
Thoughts of Suicide
This is by far the most concerning symptom of depression and one that you should not ignore even for a minute.
The Less Common Signs
Of course, some people have symptoms of depression that are a lot less ordinary. For example, some people feel very irritable and angry and may have outbursts every day. Other surprising signs include feeling absolutely nothing, feeling physical pain, experiencing mental fog or indecisiveness and forgoing self-care.
The signs and symptoms of depression may be difficult to recognize because they can be easily missed or assigned to other things that are happening in your life. However, at Montana Psychiatry & Brain Health Center, we know that you understand your body better than anyone else ever could, and we encourage you to let us know if any of your thoughts or feelings seem different or wrong to you. Please contact us today to set up an appointment at our office in Billings so that you can discuss your situation with one of our experienced mental health professionals.
