Common Depression Symptoms

Did you know that...

Common symptoms of depression not only include feeling sad, hopeless, or empty or having lost interest in the things that previously gave you pleasure. But other, less obvious symptoms also may signal depression, including:

• Anger, irritability, and impatience. You may feel irritated and angry at family, friends, or co-workers, or overreact to small things.

• Sleep problems. You may have trouble sleeping, or you may wake up very early in the morning. Or you may sleep too much and find it hard to get up in the morning. 

• Anxiety. You may have symptoms such as anxiety, worry, restlessness, and tension. Anxiety and depression often occur together, even though they are two separate problems.  

• Crying. Crying spells, crying over nothing at all, or crying about small things that normally wouldn't bother you may be signs of depression.

• Inability to concentrate. If you are depressed, you may be forgetful, have trouble making decisions, or find it hard to concentrate.  

• Pain. If you have aches and pains that don't respond to treatment, including joint pain, back pain, limb pain, or stomach pain, they could be signs of depression. Many people with depression go to their doctor because of these types of physical symptoms, and don't even realize that they are depressed.  

• Substance abuse. Having a drug or alcohol problem may hide an underlying problem with depression. Substance abuse and depression often go hand in hand.

• Appetite changes. You may have no desire to eat, or you may overeat in an effort to feel better.

• Isolation. You may feel withdrawn from friends and family -- right when you need their support the most.

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Many people think of depression as an intolerable sadness or a deep gloom that just won't go away. Yet depression can also be sneaky, disguised in symptoms that can be hard to identify. If you've had unexplained aches or pains, often feel irritable or angry for no reason, or cry at the drop of a hat -- you could be depressed.

Fortunately, you can be proactive with depression. Learn how these less obvious symptoms can reveal themselves and when you should seek out depression treatment.

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Wayne Brady Opens Up About His Depression: 'I Had a Complete Breakdown'

Depression isn't a dirty word folks.  And it's nothing to be ashamed of.  It makes my heart joyful to see more and more celebrities stepping up and talking about their personal battles with this dis-ease.  

I'm a big fan of Mr. Brady.  And my respect and admiration has deepened now that he has come out and made his battles public.   Read below.

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Though we all know Wayne Brady as the upbeat comedian-turned-TV star of shows like "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and "Let's Make a Deal," the 42-year-old Emmy-award winner is now opening up to ET's Nischelle Turner about his debilitating depression.

Brady admits he has secretly battled with depression for years and describes the harrowing emotions he's experienced. "People are like, 'Wayne Brady's always happy!'" he says. "No I'm not. Because I'm human."

"Having a bad day is one thing, having a bad week is another, having a bad life … You don't want to move, you can't move in the darkness," he explains. "You're like, 'I am just going to sit right here and I want to wallow in this. As much as it hurts, I am going to sit right here because this is what I deserve. This is what I deserve, so I am going to sit here because I am that horrible of a person.'"

The constant self-doubt turned into a vicious cycle.

Continue reading by clicking HERE

Source: MSN Entertainment

Depression and Suicide

 Unless you know what is in the mind and heart of someone with depression, unless you fully comprehend what they are experiencing and why they they make that decision to take their own lives,  you can't say suicide was a selfish act. 

Yes!  By appearances it does seem like a selfish act. But I know from first hand experience what depression does to a person and what it does to those who love them. I know what suicide does to those left behind. 

And I know why some take that route to suicide.   No, I don't like it. I certainly don't condone it. But I know and UNDERSTAND it! 

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"The pain is too much. It's too intense there are no words that can explain, no words that can help you understand. No amount of meds, drugs or booze can take it away. It only dulls it for a brief time. But it comes back bigger and stronger each time, taking you to depths of despair that you didn't think possible. And then one day...You get to that point where you know--not think--but KNOW... that your family and everyone you love would be better off if you were dead. 

To see them suffer because of your pain is too much! Too much! It only adds to the pain that now smothers every ounce of my being. And I see no other recourse but to end this pain. Not just mine...but the pain of those I love so much. Yes, they will know pain of loss. But the hope of release from a pain you can't explain out weighs it all." 

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This is part of a suicide note I wrote 21 years ago. I keep it as a reminder of my state of mind back then. I'm here today because someone found me in time. Someone who understood. Someone who had tried to die years prior by their own hand. 

My family didn't understand. Neither did my friends. But how could they? I couldn't explain it. Not in a way they would understand fully. All they could do is feel the pain of not being able to help me. They were in pain from not knowing what to do. And their pain added to my own suffering, crushed me even further down that hole of hopelessness. I was the cause of their pain. And it led me to feeling even worse. So much so I felt the only recourse was to end it. And by doing so would not only end my suffering...but theirs as well.


So yea, Robin Williams killing himself...I get it. 

I don't like it! I'm heart broken over it. But I do understand. 

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Robin, I didn't know you personally, but I loved and adored you all the same. You were and will always be that guy that made me laugh so hard I literally pissed my pants. In life, you gave us the gift of laughter. In death, you give us yet another gift...the gift of remembering how important it is to love one another and be kinder to one another. Especially and most particularly, be more loving and kinder to ourselves. 

Until We Are All Reunited In The Next Life!