How do you know if you have depression?
Depression can be cured with professional help, but the sooner it is diagnosed, the more chances there are for recovery and avoiding a relapse. That is why we want to be very aware of the warning signs and stages of depression, a disease that affects more and more people and can completely destroy your life. Protect yourself against depression
Stages of depression
A person does not find depression overnight, but it is a process in which several stages can be distinguished.
Depression trigger
Although there are some depressions that arise from different factors such as hormonal changes, a lack of Vitamin D or even genetic influence, most cases of depression have a triggering event. A breakup in a relationship, a divorce, the death of a loved one, job loss or illness are the most common causes.
Depression Settlement Stage
The triggering event is not overcome and the lack of motivation is taking over your life. You cannot do anything about the problem that has caused your depressed mood and the sadness lasts for more than two weeks. Apathy, the feeling of emptiness and limiting thoughts take over. It is the ideal moment to detect a depression in time.
The stage of abandonment
Little by little negativity and emptiness are gaining prominence and become a way of life. The activities are reduced because the forces fail and you can’t even find the courage to do those things that you liked so much before. The isolation that depression produces begins here, in a supposedly voluntary confinement.
Depression maintenance stage
Finally, all the consequences of the depressive state that affect all areas of life begin to appear. Failure to comply with responsibilities can lead to problems with your partner, family and can even cause a dismissal at work. And while all this is happening, while everything is falling apart, the person who suffers from it feels incapable of doing anything.
Warning signs of depression
But one thing are the stages of the disease when it is already installed in your life and another very different are the warning signs. Unfortunately, the warning signs are so common that we give them little importance and we begin to consider them as something normal.
- Loss of concentration.
- Trouble sleeping, insomnia.
- Continued sadness.
- Excessive crying for no apparent reason.
- Negative thoughts.
- Reluctance or apathy
- Avoidance of social contact.
- Feeding problems.
- Tiredness, fatigue
- Low self-esteem.
- Guilty feeling.
- If you see yourself reflected in this situation or if you have seen these warning signs in someone close to you for more than two weeks, it is necessary to seek help as soon as possible. Depression is cured, but you have to avoid reaching chronic depression.