Depression is a serious mental condition that afflicts thousands of people each and every year. While this makes it one of the most common and widespread mental conditions, much is still unknown about this serious illness. The symptoms of depression are insidious and often hard to detect. People who have depression are often unaware of this until their symptoms become serious. Most often than not, people who have depression require medical help for an extended period of time and often require medication or some form of counseling for the majority of their lives. Nevertheless, treating depression is far better than trying to ignore the problem. Here are some common depression symptoms to help people recognize if they are burdened with this condition.

Cognition Impairment – People with clinical depression often report an inability to effectively make decisions, difficulty concentrating or having their memory impaired.

Fatigue – One of the more visible signs of depression is a decrease in energy and fatigue after moderate physical activity. This impairs lifestyle choices and can aggravate other symptoms due to an inability to seek treatment or follow through on treatment strategies.

Emotional States – Depression is mainly a mental condition that influences a person’s emotional state. Commonly reported emotional states that people with depression experience on a regular basis include loneliness, isolation, helplessness, feelings of guilt, worthlessness and an overall pessimistic attitude.

Sleep Disruptions – Due to the chemical imbalance in the brain caused by depression, sleep patterns are often disrupted. Sleep may either be truncated or shortened or a person could wake at odd hours and be unable to sleep again. The opposite can also occur, with a person sleeping for extended periods of time, often pushing twelve hours or more.

Loss of Interest – Major depression can also alter lifestyle choices, making hobbies or interests that were formerly appealing become unattractive. Depression can also alter sexual habits, making intercourse un-pleasurable and diminishing sexual appetites.

Diet - Clinical depression can also interfere with dietary habits, causing a person to reduce their intake of food, thereby causing a drastic weight loss or to overeat and cause weight gain. Weight gain can also be exacerbated by lacking of energy and fatigue.

Aches and Pains – False pains may also register, causing joints and muscles to be achy or painful for no apparent reason other than depression. Again, lack of physical activity can often impact this symptom.

Thoughts of Suicide – Perhaps the most dangerous symptom of depression is lingering thoughts of suicide or becoming a suicide risk. This is often the result of the brain’s chemical imbalance but can also be precipitated by a combination of symptoms making life extremely difficult for someone with depression.

Heed these symptoms of depression and seek treatment from a medical professional if you believe you have depression. This is a serious condition that often worsens over time. While depression symptoms can be mimicked by other conditions, such as seasonal affective disorder, prolonged symptoms often indicate that a person is struck with depression. Seek treatment as soon as possible an be aware of the warning signs of suicide.