About 400 million people worldwide suffer from depression, and less than 25% seek effective treatment. In fact, people with depression will have different degrees of stigma: they will discriminate against themselves, and they will think about whether they are not strong enough and too hypocritical. But there are also many people who do not know they have depression. Today, I will take you to understand depression. If you have the following conditions, then you can basically be sure that you are depression, and the degree of depression is deepening with the increase of these symptoms.

Symptom 1: Persistent depression

People have some misunderstandings about depression. They always think that patients with depression are "sad" and "sad" every day. Actually not, there are some depressed patients, a more accurate description is: feeling empty and worthless. Because the opposite of "depression" is not "happy", but "lively". This "continuous" means that every day is the same. If you also feel empty and worthless, there is a high chance that you may also suffer from mild depression.

Symptom 2: Loss of interest in everything around

We generally ask patients who suspect they have depression questions such as: What do you like to do? What do you like to do on weekends? The typical depressed person would say, I used to play football, but now I'm not interested...as if I'm not interested in anything. And some of my friends, chatting with me for a long time, burst into tears, saying that they are no longer interested in anything. If you have this symptom too, then be careful too.

Symptom three: increased appetite or loss, significant weight change

Emotions are related to appetite. Studies have shown that people with depression can experience a weight change of more than 5% within a month. Deliberate weight loss and weight gain are not counted. What's even more strange is that these patients with depression, for a long time, they can't feel that their weight has really changed.

Symptom 4: Sleep problems, insomnia or lethargy

Many people with depression will not say "I am depressed", but often say "I have often lost sleep at night". According to one study, there are three stages of insomnia. At first you have trouble falling asleep, then it develops into repeated awakenings at night, and then early waking up unable to fall asleep. That is, you can fall asleep, but wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and wake up until dawn.

Symptom Five: Changes in behavior (irritability or slowness of movement)

People with depression often experience sluggishness in their actions and thoughts. It is emphasized here that the changes in this line are all “changes” visible to others. For example, a person who used to be neat and tidy suddenly becomes sloppy and disheveled; a person who used to be smart and clever has recently become very confused.

Symptom six: fatigue, lack of energy

Depression, to put it rudely, is a physical disease. Just like you get pneumonia and get a fever. When you have depression, the chemicals in your body change, leaving you feeling tired and weak. Some people with depression sleep 22 hours a day and still feel very tired.

Symptom seven: low self-evaluation, negative thinking

It's clear that people with depression don't want negativity, they try and want to be more positive, but they never get it under control. Because it's a symptom of depression, it's the result of chemistry in the body, and it's beyond the control of the depressed person.

Symptom eight: thoughts of death

Depressed people have recurring thoughts of death. When all of the above symptoms appear, it means that your depression is very serious. Losing "vitality" makes it difficult for people to have nostalgia for and interest in life.

If you feel that you meet three or more of the above symptoms, do so every day for more than 2 weeks. Then you really suffer from depression, it is recommended to seek professional help as soon as possible!