Dr Michelle O'Driscoll: Signs to watch out for that could indicate depression

It’s normal to have challenging times in life and to struggle with particular aspects.

Grief, financial challenges and health or relationship issues all ensure that we experience ups and downs as part of the human experience.

Clinical depression, however, affects us beyond what is normal or natural, and negatively impacts our daily functioning beyond just a short period of time of feeling fed up or unhappy.

It is more common in women than men, but no group is safe from experiencing it.

Here are some of the signs to watch out for in yourself or others that could indicate depression, and signal the need of some support if they’re going on for more than two weeks.

Lack of energy

A feeling of persistent, extreme tiredness is something that we tend to assume is due to a physical ailment. However, depression can also be the cause of this exhaustion. Our energy is spent on trying to pull ourselves out of the rut we find ourselves in, which can be both physically and emotionally draining.

Feelings of hopelessness

While it’s normal to have a level of worry, stress or overthinking about different life events, depression couples this with a feeling that there is no way out of the problems you face, and no end in sight. This can be in relation to something in the past, something ongoing, or something upcoming.

Rumination leading to hopelessness is a negative spiral that is challenging to break, and a classic symptom of depression.

Sleep disturbance

Sleep is when we refuel our physical energy through rest, and process the thoughts and memories of the day. We generally need approximately 8-10 hours of sleep per day for these processes to occur, and to keep us feeling our best, with our hormones balancing as a result. However, if you find that you’re sleeping much more, or experiencing broken sleep, either can be an indicator of depression.

Changes in eating habits

Similar to sleep disturbance, eating habits can also be affected by depression – one can begin to overeat to numb the feelings they’re experiencing, or start to skip meals as they’re too preoccupied to work up an appetite.

A shift in either unhealthy direction warrants considering the root cause, and questioning whether depression might be the reason for this.

Irritability

Depression is typically associated with sadness, but it can also make the person experiencing it feel on edge and irritable, despite their best intentions. Little things seem to set them off, and their tolerability for issues of any sort reduces drastically. As you can imagine, this short temper and lack of reason can negatively affect relationships in the long-term, and lead to withdrawl of the person themselves, or those that they come into conflict with.

What presents as anger may actually be a mask for the feelings of hopelessness described above, a signal that depression may be at play.

Lack of focus

If your mind is grappling with depression, it can be challenging to focus on day-to-day tasks or conversations. If you find yourself experiencing brain fog or having trouble concentrating, it might be worth considering whether depression could be the culprit.

Loss of interest

Those who have experienced depression have been known to describe it as life losing its colour. Or indeed those who find appropriate ways of managing or treating depression describe how life can get its colour back.

This lack of joy or vibrancy is due to a loss of interest. The low energy and irritability described above leads to an inability to focus on or appreciate anything else.

This lack of passion for things that you once used to find enjoyable can be very upsetting.

Depression is not just something that you can “snap out of”, and warrants appropriate support.

If you find you’re sleeping much more, or experiencing broken sleep, either can be an indicator of depression.