Psychological Symptoms
"Hopeless outlook"
The accompanying feeling may be continued sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, self-hate, or inappropriate guilt for more than 2 weeks. Common thoughts among depressed patients included “It’s all my fault,” or “What’s the point?”
"Lost interest"
Depression can take the pleasure or enjoyment out of the things you love. Withdrawal from activities that you once were motivated about— sports, hobbies, aims, hanging out with friends. Also, decreased sex drive and even impotence are also a sign of depression.
"Feeling aggressive and intolerant of others"
"Having no motivation or interest in things"
"Having no enjoyment in life"
"Having low self-esteem"
"Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself"
Physical Symptoms
"disturbed sleep schedule or quality"
The link between sleep disturbance and depression is strong. Among ⅓ of depressed patients, they encounter frequent and long periods of wakefulness and long sleep onset latency. The circadian (C) rhythm and homeostatic (S) control the human sleep schedule. Circadian pacemakers are found in a group of cells in the hypothalamus's suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The rhythm from SCN is innate and independent of tiredness. The homeostatic (the S process) is wake-dependent, it increases in proportion to the amount of time since the last sleep. Sleep abnormalities in depression lead to a disruption in both homeostasis and circadian. Stimuli caused by sleep deprivation triggered EGR3 to bind to the 5-HT2A receptor gene and turn on its production of mRNA instructions to make more serotonin, resulting in more serotonin binding to the receptors. Correspondingly, animal study shows an immediate increase in 5-HT and dopamine level after sleep deprivation. The researcher predicts that disrupted serotonin and dopamine levels among depressed patients can be corrected through sleep deprivation, regulating the mood of depressed patients.
"moving or speaking more slowly than usual"
"changes in appetite or weight"
"lack of energy"
"changes to your menstrual cycle"