Signs of depression you need to look out for and seek help.

Depression comes in all places: work, home and even in school. As always, depression is a secretive mental disorder; it is never noticed at first. Symptoms are key to knowing if you may have obtained Depression. So want to know whether you have depression or maybe your child has had or is going through depression? Here are some signs you might have depression.

It is important to know that this article is not meant at all to substitute professional diagnosis and it is only for educational purposes.

1. Self-harm and Suicidal thoughts

Depression, just like other disorders is not chosen by its victims (the person who has depression never wished for it) and due to this fact, when it comes, it causes us to blame ourselves as to why it is happening to us? Why me?

Victims of depression blame themselves a lot and in an actual sense don’t want to be depressed. They wish to be out of depression and so Suicide seems like the only option for them. To not get through in a wrong way, people who are depressed don’t wish to die, but instead, wish to be out of their pain and suffering.

Have you been taking your stress out by cutting your arm or wrist? Or have you seen your child’s hand covered in unexplainable cuts? Well, cutting yourself is a sign of depression. The victim may not be able to handle stress very well and takes it out on their body. Sometimes they don’t do it due to menacing amounts of stress but due to bullying from others.

They may decide to cut themselves to reduce the inner pain they have but that just causes physical pain in the wounded area. If you have been cutting yourself as a coping mechanism for all your pain, it is relative to know that it isn’t your fault and you don’t need to cut yourself at all. It is best to console a professional or at least talk it out with a close friend.

2. Workaholic

Did you tend to work a lot? Do you tend to spend more hours working on your homework? Well, it is good to finish assignments as it is essential, but too much work may be a sign that you may have depression. People with depression face long periods of sadness and grief. To handle this, they may decide to distract themselves and throw all their stress on work or other things. They choose to do these things to make them forget their pain. Even if it is to spend long hours watching Television series that they are uninterested in. It is best to stop distracting and console a professional.

3. Social media magnet

Are you attached to social media a lot? Do you tend to spend long hours scrolling through Pinterest for the latest trends or Watt pad for engaging stories? Being on social media for long periods is a sign of depression. Just as in the case of releasing stress on work, they may be distracting themselves from their pain and suffering by spending long hours on social media.

Being on social media is hectic as you often see the perfect models and their perfect posts and you begin to compare yourself to them. You begin to feel insecure about yourself. Spending long hours on social media can affect a person’s mental health. So as to avoid all, take some time off for yourself and your loved ones.

4. Weight loss or weight gain

It may come as a surprise to many of this sign of depression but it is indeed a sign you should look out for. People with depression experience not only long periods of grief and sadness but also fatigue (feelings of tiredness) which makes it hard to do day to day activities such as brushing your teeth or making your bed, etc.

5. Being hard on yourself

Have you been hard on yourself lately because you failed one test? Have you been kind to others but never to yourself? Well as it is good to be kind and even help others, it isn’t good to neglect yourself and your self-worth. It is best to know that grades are just grades and it isn’t at all healthy for you to beat yourself because of them. Being hard on yourself is a sign of depression as those having this disorder have trouble identifying themselves, let alone accepting themselves.

So the next time you fail or feel that it is your fault for whatever bad happened, take some time for yourself as YOU MATTER. And it is best to seek professional help.

6. Long periods of grief and sadness

Grief is a natural response to death or loss. The grieving process is an opportunity to appropriately mourn a loss and then heal. The process is helped when you acknowledge grief, find support, and allow time for grief to work.

In this stage, we begin to realize and feel the true extent of the death or loss. Common signs of depression in this stage include trouble sleeping, poor appetite, fatigue, lack of energy, and crying spells. We may also have self-pity and feel lonely, isolated, empty, lost, and anxious.

Depression is a serious disorder that can affect anyone at any time. It is best to seek professional help if you feel you have this mental disorder. If you feel that no one will hear or care, just know we do and that it is NOT YOUR FAULT. Also if you feel anxious to seek help, kindly speak to any of our school teachers as they would be more than willing to help.