Am I Depressed? - The Signs and Treatment

Most of us feel down, lonely or depressed for a while, emotions like sadness and grief help make us human. But when these feelings become overwhelming, cause physical symptoms, and you’re feeling sad or miserable most of the time over a long period of time, you might have depression. Furthermore, these feelings can keep you from leading a normal, active life.

Symptoms of Depression

Symptoms of depression include the following:

• Depressed mood (for children and adolescents, this can also be an irritable mood)

• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness

• Significant weight change or appetite disturbance (for children, this can be failure to achieve expected weight gain)

• Loss of interest in activities that once brought joy

• Difficulty sleeping, or sleeping more than usual

• Feeling Fatigued, feeling a lack of energy, or being slowed down

• Feeling agitated or irritable

• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, guilt, or inadequacy

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

• Experiencing unexplained aches and pains, headaches, or digestive disorders

There are multiple causes that may increase the chance of depression, including the following:

• It can be triggered by a stressful or unhappy life events (e.g., some people experience depression during a serious medical illness, life changes such as a move or the death of a loved one)

• Genetics - Depression often runs in families.

• Abuse - Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can increase the vulnerability to clinical depression later in life.

• Behaviours that have been learned at home, or the environment

• Medications or substance abuse can increase the risk of depression.

• Serious illnesses- sometimes depression may be triggered by another medical condition

• Personal problems - problems such as social isolation, conflicts or disputes with family members or friends can contribute to the risk of developing clinical depression.

• Other mental illness - Depression can be triggered by other mental illnesses, but it can also co-exist with certain mental illnesses. These include anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, ADHD and substance abuse.

Often, depression can be a combination of a few causes.

What to Do Next

If you experience any of these depression warning signs, tell your family doctor who will have to first rule out a physical cause for your symptoms and then he or she may start you on a treatment or refer you to a mental health professional.

Treatment may include Medicines (such as antidepressants), therapy or both. If your depression goes untreated, it may get worse and last for months, even years. Unfortunately, about half the people who have depression never get it diagnosed or treated and this can lead to pain, difficulty to function (at work, school, or at home) and possible suicide.

If you or someone you know shows any of the above warning signs, call a local suicide hotline, contact a mental health professional right away, or go to the emergency room.

Crisis resources:

Crisis Services Canada: Available 24 hours for calls; Available 4 PM—12 AM ET for texts. Languages: English, French. 833-456-4566

Toronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357 or 408-HELP

Gerstein Centre: 416 929-5200