Who Stole My Joy Part 1 -When Depression Symptoms Overwhelm You

Confusing sadness and depression is a common mistake. However, one is a perfectly normal emotional reaction to a difficult life event, and the other is a medical condition. Knowing the difference can help you decide when it is time to seek help from a mental health professional for your depression symptoms. It can also help you know when taking steps to change your lifestyle may be enough.

A normal emotional reaction to difficult life events such as loss of a loved one, serious illness, rejection, divorce, crime, or natural disaster is sadness. Although it can be intense, it normally subsides with time and emotional healing. Unfortunately, you can get stuck in what I call the Donut Hole. Since you focus on what you don’t have, it makes it difficult to see all that you do have. When this happens, it is possible to slip into a more long-term emotional state.

Types of Depression

Situational Depression, or Adjustment Disorder, is a deeper form of sadness with a basis in some life event. “About 10% of adults and 30% of adolescents experience this condition at some point,” states Chris Iliades, MD. He goes on to say, “The most common cause of situational depression is stress.” Dealing with a difficult life event while managing a busy life is definitely stressful.

However, most people can move on given enough time for emotional healing. If your depression symptoms persist, it is always a good idea to seek out professional medical and/or mental health assistance. Unmanaged situational depression can lead to a more serious form of depression.

Major Depression, or Clinical Depression, is a medical condition which is not based on any single event. Untreated situational depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or an imbalance of mood-controlling chemicals in the brain can lead to clinical depression. Time and emotional healing are not enough. Major depression requires psychotherapy, medication, or both to resolve. So if you believe you are clinically depressed, seek help from a mental health professional for evaluation and treatment.

While depression symptoms vary from person to person, experiencing five or more of the symptoms listed below for more than two weeks indicates you need to seek assistance from a mental health professional. However, get help from a medical professional for any depression symptoms which have lasted for an extended period of time and are interfering with your ability to function in your everyday life.

Depressions Symptoms

• Negative Mindset. You have a hard time seeing the positive in anything or anyone, no matter how hard you may work at it.
• Concentration/Focus. You find it hard to concentrate or focus on an activity; even simple one- or two-step tasks are difficult.
• Anxiety/Agitation. You find even little sounds, thoughts, or actions cause you to become very nervous or uneasy.
• Diet. Your appetite/eating habits have changed. You have had an unexplained weight loss or gain. You may find yourself eating all the time or forgetting to eat.
• Energy. You feel fatigued constantly. You feel overwhelmed by simple tasks.
• Sleep. Your sleeping habits have changed. You have trouble falling asleep, or you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep.
• Giving Up. You feel helpless to change things and want to quit trying since nothing seems to help. You have lost hope that the future will be any better than the present.
• Spiritual Dryness. You feel like you cannot find God anymore. You cannot seem to hear him or feel his presence. He does not seem to be there to help you anymore. You have lost interest in spending time talking with him or reading his words to you.

Here’s more information and resources about depression symptoms warning signs.

So have faith – you CAN do things to help yourself. Check out Who Stole My Joy – Part 2 for lots of small steps you can take to start feeling better. If you are depressed, change it. Step out of the Donut Hole so you can see, and experience, all the goodness around you which you have been missing.

Which symptoms give you the most trouble?