- November 30, 2022
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry
The Early Signs of Depression To Look Out For
Depression is a common mental disorder that can affect people at any stage in their lives. In America, over 1 in 10 youths experience depression. Depression at this age can have severe negative impacts on family and social life as well as the ability to function at work or school.
Learning to recognize the early signs of depression is paramount in ensuring your child gets the help they need. In this article, we’ll take a close look at what depression symptoms to look out for and why early intervention is so important.
The Importance of Recognizing Depression Early
Depression can have a profound impact on just about every aspect of an individual’s life. It also increases the chances of a person developing comorbidities. These can exacerbate the negative effects of depression. This can lead to further physical and mental health problems.
The early detection of depression, along with appropriate intervention, can help reduce the emotional burden of the disease. Clinical trials have also found that early detection and appropriate treatment can help to encourage remission and prevent relapse.
When depression is left untreated, it can leave a person feeling completely hopeless. Aspects of their lives, such as school, work, and even their most loved hobbies can seem futile, and unendurable. Depression can also lead to substance abuse and self-harm.
If your child is showing any of the following early symptoms of depression then it is important that you talk with a mental health expert about whether or not they have depression.
Changes in Personality
Depression can feel like a heavy cloud that overcasts just about every aspect of a person’s life. This kind of weight takes its toll and you’re likely to see changes in an individual’s personality when they’re struggling with depression.
Individuals who are struggling with depression are unlikely to behave in the way that you’re used to. They are more likely to display a morose demeanor and seem indifferent when they might have once been energetic and enthusiastic.
Depression can be described as a nagging feeling that never lets up. This can lead to reduced tolerance and a short temper. This can manifest as unexpected emotional outbursts or withdrawal.
Depression is often accompanied by negative self-talk. An individual might start to think less and less of themselves. This often presents itself as a lack of confidence and feelings of hopelessness.
Increasing Pessimism
In addition to negative self-talk, individuals suffering from depression are likely to develop a more pessimistic view of the world and their place in it.
It is common for people who are experiencing depression to see the world in a negative light. They might focus on potential dangers and threats, seeing the world as an inhospitable place. This can often lead to anxiety and the symptoms associated with it.
Preoccupation With Death and Suicide
When an individual is suffering from depression their thoughts can take a dark turn. It’s as if there is some familiarity and comfort in macabre concepts.
Imagine that your world seems hopeless and everything feels painful. Trying to occupy yourself with positive things might sound like a distraction, but it could actually feel like torture.
When someone is struggling with depression it’s as if their whole world gets dark. It’s normal for people with depression to fixate on things such as death and suicide. When everything feels hopeless, the end of things might begin to seem like the much-needed rest away from the pain.
Changes in Sleep Patterns
Sleep can often feel like the only available respite during a depressive episode. When everything feels painful and hopeless, doing nothing is likely to seem like the best thing to do. It is quite common for people suffering from depression to spend more time sleeping.
This could be due to the fatigue and lethargy associated with depression. It could also be a way of avoiding life. However, there is also a flip side to this.
Many individuals with depression suffer from sleep disturbances, and sleep and mood are interconnected. Depression can make it difficult to sleep and difficulties sleeping can contribute to depression.
Insomnia and hypersomnia are present in about 40% of young adults with depression. Losing the ability to sleep can have a detrimental impact on the quality of an individual’s life.
In addition to the associated fatigue that comes with sleeplessness, there is also the fact that sleepless nights are where thoughts become their darkest. All of this can contribute to becoming a strong risk factor for suicide.
Substance Abuse
The risk of substance abuse associated with depression increases with age. It is important to understand why mind-altering substances (even nicotine and alcohol) are likely to be used by individuals with depression.
Take someone leading a happy and comfortable life. Their emotional baseline might be quite upbeat and relaxed. There is no reason to want to escape anything.
When someone has depression their emotional baseline is one of discomfort. It is a high-stress environment with elements of fight or flight as well as hopelessness. Any human being who experiences a prolonged negative emotional baseline is going to want to try and escape it.
This is the main reason why individuals who live with depression often turn to substances. Intoxication can numb their experience. Unfortunately, the relationship between depression and substance abuse is bidirectional.
While substances such as alcohol or cannabis can provide a reprieve, they can further exacerbate depression symptoms in the long run.
Self Harm
The prevalence of depression and self-harm is rising among American adolescents. Emergency room visits for self-inflicted injuries have almost tripled over the last fifteen years.
There are numerous reasons why an individual might self-harm, and some are very pertinent to individuals living with depression.
One reason is that the pain experienced when self-harming can often be the only sensation that makes an individual feel alive. By focusing on the pain, an individual can drown out all the negative emotions associated with depression. Self-harm can become a form of escape.
For other people, it can be a way to act on their feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. It can be a distressing manifestation of the negative self-talk that depression sufferers often experience. People with depression might feel as if they deserve to be in pain.
Watch Out for These Early Signs of Depression
At first, it might be difficult to put your finger on slight changes in your child’s personality. One thing is for sure, though as depression continues to affect an individual’s life these early signs of depression will become more and more noticeable.
Witnessing anyone struggling with depression can be distressing, and it might feel like nothing you do seems to help. It is important to be able to access the kind of help that can protect the well-being of anyone affected.
If you believe that your child is showing any of these depression symptoms, then don’t hesitate in contacting us today to discuss how developmental psychiatry can help lift the cloud of depression.