When I lost my mum this year, I went into depression, but it was hard for anybody to notice. Days later after laying my mum to rest, I found myself withdrawing from my friends and family members. I wanted my own space, I wanted to be alone, and I was finding it hard to live without the person I loved most. I remember going to clubs and parties; things I never liked before. I wanted to drink my heart out and drown my emotions.
It’s been months now, and I have learned how to put my life back together. Looking back, I have come to realize that mental illnesses such as depression are unnoticed in our society. So many people battle with difficult situations daily, but nobody realizes until it becomes extreme. I, therefore wrote this article to enlighten you on the hidden signs.
The signs include the following.
• Isolation
We live in a busy digital world nowadays. Everyone minds their own business. The family set up is not like the traditional one where family members maintained a close association. It’s easy to be isolated, and no one notices. A few calls and texts are the major forms of communication. A depressed person will exhibit an extreme kind of isolation.
• Hallucination
Yes, depression can result in delusions. You imagine things that do not exist and create your own world. It is as a result of psychological disturbance.
• Lack of Sleep
When you’re depressed, you’ll hardly sleep. The thought of the bad experience weighs you down. I remember the sleepless nights I went through crying and soaking my sheets with tears. If you sleep alone in a room, nobody notices. And you wake up the next day like everything is okay
• Pain
Your whole body usually hurts. You experience back pains, headaches, and stomachaches. You may visit a doctor thinking you will be diagnosed with a severe illness. But depression can result to such kind of pain.
• Poor eating habits
A depressed person may overeat or skip meals regularly. For some, food becomes tasteless, and you lose interest in eating. Others eat a lot, not to satiate their hunger; but to reduce stress.
• Weight Fluctuation
Depending on your eating habits, you may gain or lose a lot of weight.
• Declined social pleasure
If you are the extrovert type who loves socializing and interacting with people, you may lose pleasure for your normal activities. The introverts too have social events they enjoy. But once depression sets in, you can live as if nothing else exists in your surroundings.
• Restlessness
It’s hard to concentrate when you are depressed. The emotional disturbance you experience makes you restless. You can’t complete a task because you lack the energy, and drive.
• Fake emotions
You may not notice that your friend is depressed because he or she will pretend that they are okay. In the real sense, depression causes an inward sadness that a victim hides.
• Untidiness
You stop minding your hygiene because you don’t feel the urge of doing anything. Cleaning your room and doing laundry become heavy tasks that you hardly indulge in.
Conclusion
Depression is a severe mental illness that a lot of people go through. Noticing a relative or friend going through depression may be hard. The only solution is to be keen around people that matter to you. The signs highlighted above will help you identify if an individual is depressed. Take time and talk to the depressed person once you notice the signs. Conversations can make a psychological burden lighter.