Are depression symptoms visible?

Are depression symptoms visible?

Depression is a mental illness and how do you know you have it? Symptoms such as fever, runny nose, headache, cough are easily felt. And they give a fairly clear signal that you have the flu. What about mental illness? Are depression symptoms visible? Here are some scenarios that show symptoms that seem invisible but are the manifestation of a mentally ill condition, in this case major depression (as well as bipolar depression).

The first scenario is that I am in sleep mode. Can't wake up, sleep until well after noon. Barely awake to eat lunch, I often skipped it. Takes a nap after being awake for an hour or two for brunch. This pattern is persistent and it is convenient to judge that I am a lazy person. I could also easily justify that I'm always tired.

The second scenario is about feelings of helplessness and/or hopelessness and they can be widespread and convincing. "There's nothing I can do", "My contribution wouldn't improve the situation", "She's sick, I can't help her feel better", "There are no solutions we can give our clients, we won't get them a contract extension." Many people, including myself, would say that I lack the perseverance and determination to find solutions, I lack positivity, I have a character flaw. It's just easy to judge my performance and to come to the conclusion that I am powerlessly useless.

The third context is when unrest sets in. “What should I do?”, “I can’t sit still, I better pack my bag, maybe I should clean up the dining table.” Frustrated by my inability to get things done, I get annoyed by general comments from my family. When the tolerance level drops, the irritation escalates into anger or rage, which unfortunately is directed at my family, who are closest to me. So what do I make of it: an irritable day? Or it could be dismissed as just another bad day, then it's no big deal.

These seemingly harmless feelings and behaviors, what are they when I experience them for a week, two weeks, three? Do I brush it off and/or accept that it's just me - I'm lazy, I'm weak-willed, I have a bad temper.

I find myself in a time where diagnosing mental illness is based primarily on self-reported symptoms. I am lucky that my brother showed me a newspaper clipping about depression and its symptoms 30 years ago. Aligned with information about depression, I visited my first psychiatrist, albeit reluctantly, in my teenage years. Since I was alone, I struggled to understand these common (and invisible) symptoms—fatigue, sleepiness, my anger (and anger), feelings of worthlessness, and, at worst, suicidality.

And back to the question, how do you know you might be mentally ill? In my case, I did not and could not understand the illness at such a young age. For more information about depression, see https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/d/depression Depression needs to be treated and treated properly. Always take care of your mental well-being.

If you think you may be depressed, seek advice and support from your GP as a priority. If you are in distress and require immediate assistance and are unable to see a primary care doctor, please visit your local emergency room.

Inspired by Cheng Chua