How to know if you’re just upset or you are suffering from depression?- signs of depression you should check

Sooner or later, everyone passes through sadness, loneliness or grief, when the person goes through a difficult phase of life. Most of the time the person continues to function, knowing in time they will feel better and things would be fine. But what if the feelings of sadness linger on, interferes with work, sleep, relationships?

How do know ON TIME that you are suffering more than sadness? Today Shivani Misri Sadhoo, an eminent psychologist in Delhi, shares some early signs of depression:-

• Your feeling of helplessness and hopelessness continues. When your feeling of helplessness and hopelessness continues for a longer period of time and no matter how hard you try (outing, reading, eating) it comes back. It’s a sign that you should immediately check with a counselling psychologist or a mental health expert.

• Your body weight changes. When you witness a significant weight loss or weight gain —a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.

• Your sleeping pattern changes: when you are waking in the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping (also known as hypersomnia).

• Loss of energy. You feel fatigued and physically drained and small tasks start making you feel exhausted. 

• Concentration problems. You find trouble in focusing and remembering things.

• Loved ones complaints: your loved ones tell you that you are behaving differently –like your tolerance level has lowered, you are becoming short tempered and getting angry easily.