Often people confuse sadness with depression. They use it as a loose term to describe moments when they feel hopeless after a tough day at the office or when dealing with a breakup. But, this is not what depression is about. Being depressed is much more complicated than this. It is a medical condition that affects how you feel, act, and think. Thus, in order to help you distinguish how depression is different from sadness that we all sometimes feel in our lives, we are listing some symptoms. Have a look!

Symptoms you are suffering from depression

Hopeless Outlook:

It is normal to feel hopeless when we are sad or dealing with an issue. But, this despair is temporary and wears off after some time. However, that is not what happens when you have depression. In this condition, the patient has to suffer from a perpetual sense of hopelessness. As a result, he develops a poor outlook on life and feels as if things will never get better. Other feelings that accompany despair include worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, and self-hate.

Lost Interest:

People who are depressed do not find pleasure in doing things they earlier used to love. As a result, they withdraw from activities they once looked forward to doing like sports, hobbies, chatting, or hanging out. Also, people who are depressed lose interest in sex.

Sleep problems:

One of the reasons why depressed people lose interest in doing things is because they feel perpetually exhausted. Such individuals develop one or another sleep problem that leaves them restless. They experience an overwhelming sense of fatigue and feel excessively sleepy. The condition is also linked with insomnia, as lack of rest can cause one to feel sleepy all the time. Combining these symptoms can also make you anxious.

Changes in appetite:

In people suffering from depression, weight and appetite keep fluctuating. The experience differs from person to person as some people lose appetite and weight, while others start eating more, which leads to weight gain. In people who are not intentionally trying to acquire or lose weight, the changes are usually caused by a disease.
Uncontrollable emotions:

Have you seen people changing emotions as if they were altering channels? One minute they are crying, while the other instant they get angry. Nothing prompted that change, but since their emotions are out of control, these people cannot help it. They are incapable of dealing with mood swings.

Looking at death:

In some cases, depression is connected to suicide. But, people thinking of committing suicide because they are depressed and hopeless start showing symptoms. They will talk about death and ending their lives and may even have a first unsuccessful attempt. In case someone around you seems suicidal, talk to them and try getting help.

So, these are a few symptoms commonly observed in people suffering from depression.