Have I Got Signs of Depression?

If you have been feeling down, or out-of-sorts, your thoughts can easily turn to whether you are depressed or not. This first section will take you through the signs of depression and how depression is diagnosed.

However, whether you 'fit' the depression diagnosis or not is unimportant. If you are feeling so down that you need to do something about it, that is enough.
Usually, our clients report one or more of the following:

1. Exhaustion on waking
2. Disrupted sleep, sometimes through upsetting dreams
3. Early morning waking and difficulty getting back to sleep
4. Doing less of what they used to enjoy
5. Difficulty concentrating during the day
6. Improved energy as the day goes on
7. Anxious worrying and intrusive upsetting thoughts
8. Becoming emotional or upset for no particular reason
9. Shortness of temper, or irritability

Not all people have all of these, and some have different signs, but if you are depressed, at least some of these will probably ring true with you.

The individual signs of depression - the way you feel - are what are used in diagnosing depression. So it's easy to see why there is so much confusion, seeing as the signs are generally common emotions and feelings.

There are also physical effects of depression, which we'll come to later.