5 illnesses and disorders similar to depression

Many of the psychological problems experienced by psychotherapy patients are related to sadness and emotional pain. This means that, on occasions, this feeling of deep discomfort is interpreted by those who suffer from it as an example of a very popular disorder: depression.

Those who don't feel like doing anything, notice how they lack motivation for everything, feel extremely sad and even come to having difficulty experiencing joy or fun is apparently manifesting symptoms related to the depression; however, care must be taken with these valuations.

You may have one of those disorders that looks like depression but isn't, and of course you may not really have a mental disorder. In this article we will explore the first option: that of the mental illnesses and disorders similar to depression.

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

5 disorders that you can confuse with depression

First of all, it must be taken into account that diagnosing a mental disorder is very complicated and requires the involvement of health professionals who are experts in the subject.

Detecting psychological problems is tremendously complicated, because there are no purely objective aspects to look at to determine with a good margin of safety that an individual has such a disorder or that, on the contrary, they are healthy.

To diagnose, psychologists and psychiatrists resort to subjective information provided by patients and their close social circles; they cannot analyze blood samples to diagnose social phobia, for example.

The same thing happens with depression, and for this reason it must be taken into account that the criteria for diagnosing this disorder and not other are very concrete and cannot be covered with a vague explanation of what the people who experience it experience. suffer. By way of example, you can see these other diseases and psychological disorders that, although they are related to mood problems, are not depression and have their own category diagnostic.

1. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

This sickness, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, generates some symptoms that can pass it off as depression to someone inexperienced.

Specifically, whoever suffers from this disorder experiences a strong fatigue constantly and without an apparent explanation It helps to understand why this happens. In addition, other symptoms are concentration difficulties, problems falling asleep and staying in that state for several hours, and muscle pain; all are common also in patients with depression.

So,what is the basic differencel among these disorders? The motivation. People with chronic fatigue syndrome feel bad because they don't have the strength to do what they they want to do, while people with depression don't, because they don't feel motivated by practically nothing.

2. dysthymia

It must be taken into account that dysthymia is not radically separated from depression, and in fact belongs to the same family of mental disorders. Furthermore, even the medication given to dysthymic patients is often the same as that given to those with major depression: antidepressants.

However, the concept of dysthymia refers to a significantly milder type of depression that, yes, is chronic, which means that it lasts several years or a lifetime and instead of consisting of outbreaks its symptoms are more stable: it is diagnosed after having suffered from them for more than two years.

• Related article: "Dysthymia, when melancholy takes over your mind"

3. Bipolar disorder

There are many myths about bipolar disorder., and there are even those who believe that it has to do with having several personalities. But to add to the confusion, this disorder can cause virtually all of the symptoms associated with depression. This is so because, as its name suggests, bipolar disorder has two phases, and one of them is depression. The difference between the bipolar patient and the depressive is in the second phase of the disorder that the first presents: mania.

During phases of mania, the person feel a sense of euphoria, energy and optimism take over their body and, in fact, in many cases it makes them feel very good. However, this high spirits can cause them to take great risks and even compromise the well-being of others.

• You may be interested in: "Bipolar Disorder: 10 characteristics and curiosities that you did not know"

4. Anemia

Anemia is a health problem that in most cases is produced due to lack of iron in the blood, which makes it have less capacity when it comes to transporting oxygen. In practically all cases this generates fatigue and loss of strength, and it is also common for dizziness and general malaise to occur.

On occasions, this situation can make the person who suffers from it do fewer and fewer things, to the point where they isolate themselves and begins to feel quite bad about being in that state of passivity, something that has a superficial resemblance to the depression.

However, it is a change easily identifiable from medical tests, and contrary to what happens with depression, it can disappear when its cause is corrected original, which usually has to do with an inadequate diet or with a slight loss of blood but constant.

5. hypothyroidism

The thyroid gland, located in the neck, is one of the largest producers of hormones of our body, and for this reason any problem in its functioning can produce significant changes in the person's state of mind.

In hypothyroidism, the thyroid secretes fewer hormones than normal, and this causes low mood and fatigue, depressive symptoms. As with anemia, this is usually fully corrected by acting on the root of the problem, usually by taking medication.