Not Just Blue?

Concentration issues

Finding yourself unable to focus, taking three hours to do something that ought to take half an hour, struggling to formulate your thoughts coherently—these are also factors that come with depression. If you constantly feel that you have no mental energy, and feel like your mind is muffled and numb, it may be time to seek help.

Alcoholism

About 40 percent of people who suffer from depression struggle with alcohol, according to the MDSC. Drug use—illicit and prescription—are also common ways that many of us try to escape our emotions. It doesn’t just mask the problem, it can also make things worse; liver damage and poor health only worsen depressive episodes.

Weight changes

Depression can result in a total lack of interest in food, so somebody may begin to lose weight without even realizing it. But the opposite can happen, too: to fill the emotional void, some of us turn to food and will gain weight in turn.

Anger and irritability

"If you are continually depressed, you can become extremely frustrated, and this can manifest as anger," says Kaey. Anger is depression turned inward, as the expression goes. Having a short fuse, and finding that little things that would normally not bother you suddenly have the power to completely ruin your day could be a sign of buried depression.

If you are feeling depressed, please seek out one of the many available mental health services in your area. Asking for help is NOT a sign of weakness, it is a sign that you are ready to take back your life.