The world sees a battle outside, but the struggle fought inside is only seen by some.”
Globally, an estimated 280 million people suffer from depression, which is about 3.8% of the global population. This includes 5% of adults, or about 20%, who experience depression during their teenage years. Depressive disorder (also known as depression) is a common mental disorder. It alters the mood or results in a loss of pleasure in daily activities for a longer duration.
Depression is different from regular mood changes and feelings about everyday life. It can affect all aspects of life, including relationships with family, friends, and community.
As much as higher depression rates are, sadly, lower is the awareness about its signs and symptoms, which are often ignored by people. Detecting these early signs of depression in teens and adults can help prevent severe cases and result in early interventions. If you or someone around you is exhibiting these signs, reaching out to a mental health professional would be a good step towards early precautions and interventions.
Teenage Depression Signs
Depression in teens nowadays is very common, considering the growing demands of the times, along with an internet-influenced society, the mental health of teens is a concern for many families. Here are a few early signs and symptoms to recognize before it turns severe.
- Drop in academics – A Sudden drop in grades, along with bad performance in school overall, might be a concerning sign. Parents often blame their children for not reaching the mark, but considering other factors could help them detect such signs. A teenager suffering from depression might lack motivation to perform well, feel a sense of insecurity, and have self-critical thoughts.
- Withdrawal from friends and family – Teens with depression often isolate themselves, withdrawing from social activities or engagement. They no longer feel the need to connect with others and prefer to stay aloof. They start becoming less interactive day by day.
- Changes in body weight/appetite – Depression can result in changes in one’s appetite or body weight, leading to two extreme sides: either they eat too much, resulting in gaining weight or start eating very little, losing their appetite.
- No interests in activities or hobbies – Teens who once enjoyed doing their pursued hobbies, such as dancing, playing outdoor sports, painting, might start losing interest, along with little or no participation in these activities. They might appear disinterested in spending time doing previously enjoyed activities.
- Feelings of worthlessness or self-blaming thoughts – Depression can result in feelings of worthlessness or helplessness, often making individuals feel guilty about themselves and for others around them. They might use phrases such as, “I am not good enough,” “I do not deserve all of it.”
- Frequent anger outbursts or irritability – Frequent mood swings are common signs of depression, where the individual experiences anger outbursts or irritability that remain for longer durations. Such anger outbursts or irritability do not necessarily indicate towards anyone but are frequently displayed as a result of their struggles.
- Frequent insensitive comments or jokes regarding one’s death or suicide – Teens with depression often start indulging in conversations about death or attempts at suicide around people they are close with, such as friends, which could be a major signal. Even though they might not engage in self-destructive behaviors, they might still make plans or talk about it casually. Ignoring these signs could prove fatal; talking to a therapist might help the situation, along with getting help from suicide prevention hotlines available online.
Early signs of depression in Adults
- Persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, or loneliness – Depression in adults may start from having persistent feelings of sadness, loneliness, even around people, or emptiness from inside. They might start feeling disconnected from the world around them, wanting to isolate themselves as much as possible.
- Sleep Disturbances ( Insomnia or hypersomnia) – Changes in sleep pattern, either in the form of insomnia or hypersomnia, resulting in feeling tired or sleepy the whole day, absenteeism at jobs, or even failure to complete daily tasks.
- Changes in body weight or appetite – From binge eating to skipping meals, both could be early signs of depression in adults. The eating pattern becomes noticeably different, which was once maintained accurately. Changes in diet may result in frequent weight loss or weight gain.
- Loss of interest in hobbies or social activities – Depression in adults can manifest in terms of skipping plans to socialize with friends or colleagues, loss of interest in daily activities, or pushing themselves a lot to do such tasks. They might start canceling outside plans, finding comfort in their own spaces.
- Difficulty making sound decisions – Adults with depression symptoms might not be able to make proper decisions for themselves or things around them, they may impulsively make decisions, or even making extreme decisions. Decisions regarding both personal and professional life are affected.
- Physical symptoms – Adults with depression might present with chief complaints of certain psychosomatic symptoms due to excessive stress, psychosomatic symptoms such as digestive issues, frequent headaches, body pain, or tiredness.
- Thoughts of death or suicide – Self-destructive behaviors involving risks such as heavy drinking, aggressive activities, or harming themselves could be signs of depression in adults. They might start having thoughts of suicide or questions around ending their life. Common phrases to notice. “I wish I were not here, “I wish life could stop for a while.”
Paying attention to these small sentences while interacting with someone can act as a powerful sword to protect the person suffering from such thoughts or prevent suicidal ideation to attempts.
Depression is a disorder that could turn severe if signs and symptoms are not paid attention to earlier. If you or someone you know is struggling with these thoughts or signs, visiting a therapist would be effective. Taking therapy for clinical depression along with prescribed medications can help fight treatment-resistant depression, which could be chronic if not given enough interventions.
Always remember that mental health issues are better handled by qualified professionals and need supervision; however, observing these early signs could help in more profound interventions.
Taking help is always a sign of strength, not weakness.
