At the dawn of the 21st century, the world saw advancement in technology and major changes in lifestyle and career opportunities. Somewhere during this transition, the new way of life led to several health issues, hampering the routine life amongst people of different age groups. Among them, depression is ruling the charts and has severe consequences on the mind and body, endangering millions of lives. It’s important to catch the early warning signs of depression to reverse its effects and induce recovery.

What is depression?
Let’s put it straight; depression is not sadness. Everyone feels sad at several points in their life. Sadness is temporary and, with time it passes away. However, constantly feeling let down, persistent loss of interest or pleasure in life, not wanting to do anything that was once enjoyable and other similar signs that linger for weeks, months or years are signs of depression. Depression is a major public health problem affecting many people in the country.

It’s a very common mental health disorder characterized by persistent low mood and loss of interest in activities that cause significant impairment in daily life. The good news is, it can be treated by a medical professional that requires a medical diagnosis.

It’s important to note that depression is not a sign of weakness or a negative personality, though you may be overwhelmed by excessive negative thoughts.

Signs and symptoms of depression
However small it may seem, it’s advisable not to ignore the early warning signs of depression that can only get worse with negligence. The following are the most common and disturbing symptoms (but not limited to) of depression:

• Exaggerated emotions
• Social withdrawal, irritability or excessive crying
• Lack of concentration
• Excessive negative thoughts
• Feelings of guilt and worthlessness
• Low self-esteem and self-confidence
• Feeling suicidal
• Signs of agitation
• Excessive sleepiness or insomnia
• Excessive hunger or loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions
• Not doing enjoyable activities
• Not interested in sex
• Fatigue and loss of energy
• Persistent aches or pains including headaches, cramps and digestive problems

These early warning signs of depression give you a glimpse of the impact depression has over your lives. It can derail your career, relationships and every other aspect of your lives. It’s advisable to seek medical help at the earliest or, the conditions can worsen if ignored. In severe cases, depression can be life-threatening.

People with depression often engage in risky behavior, hurt themselves or others and are more likely to attempt suicide. These cases should be taken very seriously before things go out of control.

Feeling down occasionally is a part of life that can be addressed without efforts. However, when emotions including hopelessness and despair take over your everyday life, you need to stop and take notice. Depression has the capacity to alter your perception of yourself and your life. If left untreated, early warning signs of depression can completely eradicate your sense of worth. They can cause dysfunction in daily activities.

Living with depression is like living in a black hole. In fact, it’s not living but, merely existing with a cloud of emptiness and apathy looming over your head.