Depression, when you have it, can be all-consuming. I mean, all consuming. It seems to devour your life like a monster, changing your life in countless ways that you may never have anticipated. Indeed, this is one of the greatest problems with depression – it completely changes everything you knew and loved.
Most people are familiar with the basic symptoms of depression – sadness, apathy, fatigue, etc. However, you what you may not be familiar with is the other, more random symptoms of depression that can be just as problematic as the more basic ones.
To that end, here’s a look at three symptoms of depression that you may never have heard of.
Lowered memory function
There is a reason the term “depression fog” means so much to so many. When you are depressed – when you are really in it – your entire brain can feel like it is no longer functioning. As it turns out, this is more than just a perception – it’s very, very real.
Depression can cause memory loss. This has been backed up by multiple studies that show that people with depression have trouble with their short-term memory. It is also possible that certain forms of treatment for therapy – like electroconvulsive therapy or certain medications – can cause memory loss. It’s always worth checking out if you suspect it to be something else, but yes, depression can hurt your ability to store and recall things.
What can you do about it? Chalk it off. I remember being a kid and having major depressive or anxiety episodes. In my mind, I would say, “It’s a day,” and try to move on. Don’t kick yourself over it. It isn’t a sign of weakness or failure. It is a symptom of your disorder. If you treat your depression, your memory loss will fade.
Appetite changes
Here’s another very random one: When you are depressed, your appetite changes. This isn’t as random as you might think – indeed, it’s so common that unexplained weight gain or loss is actually one of the symptoms that can lead to a diagnosis of depression.
Why is this the case? If you eat less, it can be a reflection of a lack of energy or interest. If you eat more, it can be because of emotional eating – you feel emotions that make you miserable and cause you to overeat.
Ironically, and sadly, this is a huge problem. Both overeating or undereating can cause depression to get worse. That’s why appropriate diet when you are depressed is so vitally important.
And, as an aside: This is so me. I stop eating when depressed.
Irritability
So, this is a bad of a random one, and sometimes it may not make sense. It seems to strike more in men, as research shows that men are more likely to be irritable and angry when depressed. Symptoms like these, along with hostility, are more likely to appear in men, and to serve as a mask for depression.
Why is this the case? I can think of a bunch of reasons…but many come down to cultural and familial. In many cases, the way someone is raised will alter the expression of their depression, and depression can easily display itself as irritability or anger. As such, if you know someone who is more irritable than usual lately, it’s absolutely worth checking in on them.
It’s worth noting that, sometimes, these symptoms may appear before other, more severe ones. There have been times I’ve lost my appetite, not been sure why, then realized that my depression was back and it was pissed. Something I actually just read while doing this blog entry: Appetite changes can be an early warning sign of a relapse. That has certainly been the case for me.
Broadly speaking, one of the biggest challenges with mental health is that it is so hard to get any sort of standardization. What works for some may work catastrophically badly for others, and what is a clear cut symptom for one person may not be as clear for someone else.
As always, if you are worried about your own mental health, seek help as soon as you can – the sooner the better. Thankfully, the vast majority of people respond well to mental illness. If this is you, seek help today.
As always, I turn it over to you. What random depression challenges have you had that you never would have believed? Let us know in the comments!
Mike Schlossberg - Author 