Recognizing the Signs of Depression

When It's More than Just "The Blues"

-- By Dean Anderson, Behavioral Psychology Expert

Nearly everyone has experienced a time when it hardly seems worth the effort to get out of bed, or when the problems they face seem so overwhelming that they're not sure where to begin. Let’s face it—life can be difficult and depressing. And feeling sad, overwhelmed, guilty, or hopeless is a normal human response during those times.

In fact, just like physical pain, these feelings and thoughts are helpful warning signs that something isn’t right. They may be telling you that you’ve suffered an important loss and need to spend some time grieving; that what you’ve been doing isn’t fitting well with your real needs and desires; or that you simply need to slow down a little.

But sometimes these feelings and thoughts take on a life of their own, dominating your experience for extended periods of time. Instead of reacting to events appropriately, you're only able to see and react to the negative aspects of your experience, or you become unable to experience the pleasure, interest, or satisfaction that you normally get from daily activities and relationships. To make matters worse, this sadness, lack of interest, worthlessness, and hopelessness feels more real to you than any efforts to cheer you up. Being depressed feels like the way things “really are,” not like a medical problem.

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• NAPAVALLEYNANA "i've also had depression off and on for years. i know most of it comes from..."
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