Depression is one of the worst conditions to be afflicted with resulting from a variety of emotional problems. Stress too is one of the biggest offenders that can cause depression and anxiety which manifests itself in so many different ways. Depression devastates those who suffer from the condition but what is worse are the silent hidden symptoms of depression that victims may not even realize they suffer from. There are times when a loved one or partner may be suffering such symptoms and yet you don’t know it until it becomes a full-blown problem. Here are 8 symptoms of hidden depression that could attack anyone.
There are quite a number of people you might have come across who display weird signs of being overly happy. Either they will be the ones laughing out loud at an old joke everyone has heard before or they will keep quiet, insanely quiet. More often than not, they will try to show they are extremely happy when in truth; they are attempting to hide their own depression or anxiety. The only way to understand this is to have direct contact with the person and speak about what’s bothering him or her.
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This is one of the biggest problems with depression where anxiety attacks one to the point of not being interested with appearances. The main problem with such a condition is the fact that the depressed patient no longer cares about social acceptance or what the world may think about them internally or externally. It is an attitude of resignation wanting to be a recluse. Sometimes some victims may not even care about personal hygiene and grooming like combing one’s hair.
Should you notice a loved one or a friend appearing messy of late without any valid reasons and continuous, then they could be suffering from depression.
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Depressed people as mentioned earlier prefer to lead a recluse life like a loner. They will start avoiding friends and make up excuses to avoid a meeting or attend social occasions or events. If it involves a single friend, then its most probably the depressed person is avoiding because they do now wish to let people know they are depressed. This is a serious case of depression, where a victim prefers the depressed state rather than seek help. Such incidents result from those with paranoia and traumatic experiences faced in life that leads them to mistrust human beings and society.
This is one of the pitfalls and traps of depression that drag a victim down even deeper into a bottomless pit of negative emotions and feeling of helplessness.
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One symptom of depression that you can easily recognize is when a victim keeps repeating an incident or event. They may go over this one topic in their head and if you happen to be a partner or friend; they will spend hours discussing it. This could possibly result from the fact that even in the throes of depression; a person has found one incident to identify with or seek solace and emotional security from and thus just can’t let it go.
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In most cases, depressed people are bereft of any emotion simply because they themselves are in a condition where they feel everything is lost to them. Thus loss involving others is something which they have to deal with everyday and that is their own sanity. Nothing impresses them nor does anything evoke empathy or emotions. This is why a depressed person fails to react to the emotional problems of others. Depressed people will also never react to incidents that are funny or sad. You will never see them laughing. When you notice something like this in a loved one, you need to follow the pattern of their behavior to see if it relates to other symptoms of depression and provide them help.
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If you find a person who is care free about work suddenly becoming a workaholic then the person could be suffering from depression. Alternately, if a vibrant person use to working diligently suddenly starts appearing lethargic and careless about work, then too it could be a sign of depression. The need is to distract oneself from the cause of depression and immerse oneself in extreme activity of behavior not in accordance to ones normal personality.
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Depression can cause people with healthy eating habits to suddenly gorge on unhealthy food. Alternately, a depressed person who is used to eating a lot could suddenly lose appetite. Sometimes depressed people may display OCD behavior and you may find them constantly cooking even without the need to. Unexplained restlessness in the kitchen such as excessive cleaning or purchasing could mean a person is transferring their depression to other forms of activity.
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Depressed people usually experience some form of psychosomatic illness such as chest pain, head pain or shortness of breath. Panic attacks also cause such symptoms. However when depressed patients are examined by a doctor, there will be no signs of any physical disease or problem. The mind over matter issue is highly significant here. Believe it or not but worldwide studies even linked certain cancers to unexpressed anger which could constitute a negative emotion related to depression.
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Just as it was explained earlier that anger could even lead to certain cancers, anger is indeed a symptom of depression. If you observe a partner, relative or friend suddenly bursting up for irrelevant petty issues this is a clear sign of stress and depression. In most cases, such depression could lead from frustration, work or house stress, the feeling of the inability to cope, or even an unresolved problem which makes the victim take out his or her anger on others. Be patient with such people and never give them cause to explode, rather allow them to calm down by speaking calmly and trying to find the source of the problem.
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If you notice a friend becoming philosophical and speaking on subjects like the universe, the meaning of life and the purpose of human life, it could be because of depression. Now there are men and women who love pondering on these subjects and they could be thinkers unlike others who desire an answer to life’s mysteries, it won’t mean that they are suffering from depression. But a depressed victim who begins to lose faith in his own career, his life and is depressed to the point of questioning the purpose of living, this is a topic which he may find him or herself discussing with a partner or a friend.
When a person may seem to be discussing topics vaguely and not making complete sense, then that is a definite sign of depression and the person will need help.
Such hidden symptoms of depression could also be faced by you when you may find your life has taken a downward turn. It could be observed in your partner or loved one too. Although it is easier said than done, not to let depression get you down, the best course of action is to reach out and talk to someone at least with the empathy and willingness to set you on a right course of action such as therapy. Always value yourself and respect yourself regardless of what others may think of you.
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