Depression: A Card With Many Faces

Trigger Warning: This article discusses mental illness. If you or someone you know is facing mental health struggles and emotional distress, free, confidential, and 24/7 help is available. Call or text 988 to speak with someone or chat at https://chat.988lifeline.org.

Depression isn’t just one stereotypical thing that fits into a format. Depression is so much more than just feeling down or sad all the time. Personally, my depression is a pool of ice cold water with a pressure on my lungs due to my self-awareness. It feels like I think about everything so much, and it’s horrible if I can’t do anything to change it. I’ll think about a situation, or a game, but then when it comes time for that situation, I can’t do what I thought I would. I try to distract myself with everything around me, so when I’m alone, things usually get worse in my head. I feel like if I don’t think, things will get better, so I try to focus on other things, speaking so fast I don’t think first. But that’s my depression.

Sadly enough, Major Depressive Disorder is the most common type of depression, and it causes so many things. Around 8.3% of adults in the US have had a major depressive episode in their life. From a case study from the CDC, research shows that around 19.2% of adolescents are dealing with depression, whilst around 8.7% of adults over 60 deal with depression. There are many, many symptoms, varying in age groups as seen from this article from Mayo Clinic. Depression can start at any time too, even early in childhood, to late senior life. But here’s the thing, not everyone’s self destructive, nihilistic, or dysfunctional. There’s so many undiagnosed depressed people who live through “normal” everyday lives, feeling horrible on the inside. Checking up on your peers, coworkers, or just acquaintances can really make their day. For most depressed people, they want to be heard, they want someone to sit and listen and understand what they are dealing with or saying.

There are multiple signs a person is depressed, even if they present themselves to others as a happy, outgoing person. They may feel down all the time, or easily irritated, and their sleep schedule can change drastically, either sleeping too much or too little. A very common trait is a change of their self esteem, they may start making jokes about themselves, or joking about dangerous things. They could start using drugs, nicotine, or alcohol, and slowly deteriorate in the self care category.

If you are or start to feel depressed, like constantly down, a large change in emotions towards negative.  you may need to start with some lifestyle changes. Try talking about your emotions with someone you can trust, like a friend, family, someone you look up to, or a professional. If you don’t have energy for many things, try creating a sleep schedule, it doesn’t have to be super early, or super late, but at least try to get 8 hours, not too much sleep either, as it’s harmful too. Also, you probably here this all the time, but going outside can help, even opening your blinds or opening your window and hearing the birds or distant ambience can help to cheer you up. If you’re 24 or under and want help, you can text Hey Sam at 438-726 from 9:00 am to midnight ET time or reach out to The HOPE Line. All ages can start chatting with people who care at 7cups.