When depression is not only sad

Usually, people associate major depression (which is the diagnostic term), colloquially called "depression", to the emotion "sadness"., assuming that the depressed person will predominantly express sadness, most of the day, in most areas of his life and with most of the people around him.

Now, some people feel very confused because someone they know has had suicidal ideation, or has committed suicide, and yet However, apparently they did not show sadness, because they appeared on their social networks, they seemed to lead a normal life, they smiled, they they socialized etc. This confusion may be due to the simplification that is made when assume that if you are not sad and/or do not express it verbally or non-verbally, you cannot be depressed. This leads to the disbelief and surprise of the people around the depressed person, which aggravates the feeling of incomprehension of the depressive, who feels isolated, different and little attended by his around.

• Related article: "The 6 types of mood disorders"

The complex relationship between depression and sadness

The person with suicidal ideation, or who takes said ideation into action, always goes through psychological problems that lead to suffering and the appearance of very negative thoughts. On many occasions, you probably suffer from major depression.

For this reason, it seems important to clarify that depressive symptoms are more complex and a person can suffer from this disorder, presenting symptoms more insidious and not as evident as sadness, which are perhaps less well known but which form part of the criteria to be assessed in order to carry out a diagnosis. The fact that people know this disorder in a little more depth, can make them act sooner, favoring the understanding and emotional support of the person who suffers from it.

So, beyond sadness, we want to tell you some other depressive symptoms so you can identify them more clearly If you, or someone close to you, could be suffering from them:

1. Tendency to attribute blame for everything that happens around

Thoughts of the type "it's my fault", "I should have done this, or not have done this", "I'm doing everything wrong", which are accompanied by a feeling of being guilty, almost constantly. These types of negative thoughts have a frequency and duration that cause discomfort in the person, by provoking emotions such as guilt, anger, frustration and even self-hatred.

• You may be interested in: "What is guilt and how can we manage this feeling?"

2. apathy and anhedonia

That is, lack of interest, motivation and enthusiasm, as well as difficulty enjoying things that were previously enjoyed. The person may be trying to enjoy the activities that previously generated satisfaction without being able to enjoy doing them. This causes him to stop doing them, as it does not generate well-being, so he does fewer and fewer activities, and tends to isolate himself.

This makes him enter a loop, since he does not do activities, because they do not satisfy him, and since they do not satisfy him, he is increasingly inactive. Therefore, he begins to have thoughts like “there is no point in me doing this, since I don't feel like it”, “I'd better stay without doing anything", "I won't feel better doing it", which will put you in a negative spiral of passivity and inactivity.

• Related article: "Major Depression: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment"

3. Significant changes in sleep and/or eating

For example, significant modification of the amounts and frequency of food intake, a sudden loss or increase in weight, or difficulties in initiating or maintaining sleep (insomnia), or, conversely, sleeping excessively (hypersomnia). The fundamental pillars of a person's well-being are sleep and food, so it is difficult to feel good with these disrupted pillars, since the rest of the activities and needs of the day are based on them day.

4. irritability and irascibility

That is, a tendency to get angry easily and in an unbalanced way, presenting susceptibility. Anger and rage are frequently present in these people, who feel vulnerable and easily affected. They tend to present thoughts such as "nobody understands me", "others should do this or that", etc., which produce emotions such as frustration and make them feel misunderstood. So their reactions can be excessive and their irascible attitude. In the most serious cases, the person may have difficulties expressing emotions, crying... suffering some "emotional sedation".

To end...

Knowing other symptoms that may indicate that you are depressed, or that someone close to you is, will help that person receive help sooner. If you feel identified, do not hesitate to go to a mental health professional.

If you identify someone in your environment, do not judge them, or minimize what happens to them. Do not hesitate to suggest that he receive help and accompany him if he has trouble taking the step. Both the family doctor and mental health specialists (psychiatrist and psychologist) can carry out a adequate first evaluation, assessing the severity of the symptoms and deciding the next steps to follow to to intervene. Sometimes psychotherapy is required, while on other occasions a combination of pharmacological and psychological treatment is required.

With the appropriate treatment, the different and complex symptoms of depression will be reduced and the affected person will significantly improve their mental health and quality of life.