Table of contents:
- Depression signs and symptoms by age
- Depressive symptoms are common in adults
- Depression characteristics, seen from the psychological
- Physical symptoms of depression
- Depressive symptoms that affect social life
- Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents
- Depressive symptoms in the elderly
- The severity of depression is based on the symptoms it causes
- Mild depression
- Intermediate depression
- Severe depression
Endless severe stress can cause a person to experience depression. Depression itself is a mood disorder that causes a person to feel constantly sad and lose interest in activities. In addition, are there any other symptoms that are caused when a person feels depressed? Come on, understand more deeply the characteristics of people who experience stress and depression below.
Depression signs and symptoms by age
There are several symptoms of overlap between stress and depression, such as difficulty concentrating, lack of excitement, and loss of interest in things you used to enjoy. In fact, stress, depression, and anxiety disorders have differences.
Generally, signs of depression are more tiring and can hinder the sufferer's daily activities. Depression is usually characterized by a deteriorating mood that persists for weeks or more than 6 consecutive months.
Depressive symptoms are common in adults
Depression characteristics, seen from the psychological
- Mood deteriorates drastically.
- Feeling sad all the time.
- Feeling hopeless.
- Feeling worthless and helpless.
- Not interested in doing anything.
- Often sobbing.
- Constantly shrouded in guilt.
- Feeling annoyed, irritable, and intolerant of others.
- It's hard to make a decision.
- Not being able to feel the slightest joy or pleasure from positive situations and events.
- Always feeling anxious or worried.
- Thinking of committing suicide or injuring yourself
Physical symptoms of depression
- Move or speak slower than usual.
- Eating a lot or just lazy to eat.
- Weight loss or increase dramatically due to change in appetite.
- Constipation.
- Feeling pain all over the body for no reason.
- Looks weak, lethargic, has no energy or is always tired.
- Decreased or even lost sexual desire.
- Irregular menstruation.
- Experiencing sleep disturbances, including insomnia, waking up early, or sleeping a lot.
Depressive symptoms that affect social life
- Cannot work or do activities as usual, not focus and have difficulty concentrating.
- Shutting down, avoiding socializing with friends and family.
- Ignoring or resenting hobbies and activities that were previously well-liked.
- Difficult to interact at home and work environment, even very vulnerable to problems with people around him.
Everyone can feel different signs of depression. The common symptoms mentioned above are more commonly felt by adult sufferers. Although not too obvious, in fact typical depressive symptoms can also appear in certain age groups, such as in children and adolescents, and the elderly.
Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents
In fact, depression features in children and adolescents similar to those in adults. It's just that, there are some typical symptoms of depression that occur in children and adolescents, as reported by the Mayo Clinic page:
- Depressed children generally feel sad, anxious, and sad clingy aka always want to "stick" with other people. This condition often makes children lazy to go to school, lazy to eat, so that their weight drops dramatically.
- Depressed adolescents usually become irritable, sensitive, stay away from their peers, change their appetite, and hurt themselves. In fact, adolescents who experience depression are prone to falling into drug or alcohol use because they cannot control themselves.
Depressive symptoms in the elderly
Depression is not a normal thing for older people. Unfortunately, depression in the elderly is difficult to detect so it is difficult to treat.
Depressive symptoms in the elderly are not much different from those of adults in general. However, other symptoms may also appear that follow, in the form of:
- Tiring easily.
- Loss of appetite.
- Sleep disturbances, whether you can't fall asleep, wake up too early, or get too much sleep.
- Senile or forgetful.
- Lazy to leave the house and refuse to socialize.
- Suicidal thoughts occurred.
The symptoms mentioned above can be described as depression if they last for at least two weeks or more. Even so, there may be many other signs and symptoms of depression that were not mentioned above.
The severity of depression is based on the symptoms it causes
Untreated depression will further endanger the life of the sufferer. This is because they can do dangerous actions that endanger themselves, for example injuring themselves.
To prevent this, doctors will usually prescribe antidepressants or psychotherapy. Treatment options for depression will depend on the severity of your symptoms.
The following is a division of the severity of depression which is usually seen from the signs and symptoms experienced by the sufferer.
Mild depression
People with mild depression usually feel more than sad. These features of mild depression can last for days and interfere with normal activities.
In addition to these characteristics, doctors may categorize a person as having mild depression if they also have the following conditions:
- Is irritable or angry easily, feels hopeless, hates himself, and continues to feel guilty.
- Loss of interest in activities that you enjoy, not being interested in socializing, and loss of motivation.
- Experiencing insomnia, changing appetites, unexplained pain in the body, and having addictions from taking stress and stress the wrong way.
If your symptoms persist for most of the day, an average of four days a week for two years, you will likely be diagnosed with a type of depression such as persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia). Even though these depressive symptoms are visible, some people may ignore or avoid consulting a doctor.
Intermediate depression
In terms of symptom severity, depression is on the rise from mild cases. Moderate and mild depression have the same signs, only they are more severe. The diagnosis for moderate depression is usually characterized by conditions, such as:
- Feelings of inferiority and productivity are reduced.
- Feeling worthless and less sensitive to emotions and environmental conditions.
- Continue to feel restless and worry excessively.
The biggest difference in the level of depression is that the symptoms have a negative impact on activities at home, school performance, and productivity at work.
Severe depression
This severe depression usually causes symptoms that last an average of 6 months or more. Sometimes, the symptoms can go away for a while, but they can also come back again. People diagnosed with this level of depression usually exhibit features such as:
- Delusions and or hallucinations.
- Have thought about committing suicide or have injured yourself. suicidal thoughts or behavior.
Do not underestimate any symptoms of depression that happen to you. If you are worried or have suspicions about certain symptoms, consult further with a trusted doctor / psychologist / psychiatrist / therapist.
Remember, mental disorders can be experienced by anyone. Now, the very first step to achieving healing is realizing that you do experience it.
Do not be ashamed to do consultations because of the growing stigma, because mental health for you and your loved ones is the main thing.
If you, a relative, or family member shows signs of depression or other symptoms of mental illness, or exhibits a desire or behavior or is contemplating suicide, call the police emergency hotline immediately 110; Suicide Prevention hotline (021)725 6526/(021) 725 7826/(021) 722 1810; or NGOs Don't Suicide (021) 9696 9293