It’s relatively straightforward to spot depression once it’s already gotten pretty serious. Some obvious “tells” are that you’re having dark thoughts or can’t make yourself get out of bed. Many people wait until depression gets bad before they seek the necessary support. But the sooner you get help for depression, the easier it is to find treatment and start recovery. Here are some of the earlier warning signs of depression, so you can stay on top of it before things get worse.
You’re self-medicating with drugs or alcohol
You don’t usually vape or drink that much. It’s just something you do now and then at parties, with friends. Lately, however, you’ve been noticing the urge to pull out the pen or pour yourself a glass alone at home on weekday evenings. It’s no big deal, you tell yourself at first, you just like to get a little buzz on to relax after work. After a while, you notice you’re spending all day waiting to get home and get high or tipsy. It’s getting harder, you realize, to go a night without it.
The sneaky part is you don’t realize it’s a mental health issue; you don’t feel depressed, you just need a little boost. By the time full-blown symptoms of depression rear their ugly heads, things might’ve gotten so bad that you need inpatient treatment for substance abuse. It’s crucial to stay aware of your habits, so you notice quickly if there’s a change. Pay attention to the extra bottles, cans, joints, or cartridges in your trash, as they could be early warning signs of depression.
You’re skipping out on your favourite activities
You used to head to your favourite dance class every day after work, or plan long hikes in nature every weekend. Or maybe there’s that one trivia night you love, or the friend group that meets once a month for dinner at a new restaurant. Whatever lights you up just isn’t giving you the same spark anymore, so you’ve been showing up less and less often. People around you are starting to ask about you, wondering what’s wrong and why they haven’t seen you.
Even if you are showing up, perhaps your heart’s not in it. You’re distracted and bored, or you don’t feel the same sense of joy. You’re physically there, but emotionally, you’re somewhere else, or you’re caught up in negative thoughts about your skill or performance. Whatever the case may be, if you’re getting less happiness out of your favourite activities, that’s an early red flag. If it seems like something is sucking all the fun out of you, it could be early depression.
The scale is creeping up or down
Weight is a tricky one when it comes to identifying depression: weight loss and weight gain can mean a lot of things. On the one hand, if you’re suddenly losing weight, it could be because you’re feeling more energetic and getting back to the gym. If you’re gaining, it could be that your nervous system is calm because you’re finally out of a super-stressful situation. But both gain and loss can be serious warning signs of depression. How do you tell the difference?
It’s extra confusing because society rewards thinness, so people might be complimenting your depression-related weight loss. They might convince you that you’re supposed to feel good when you’re actually miserable inside. The only real way to know whether your loss or gain could be due to depression is to trust your gut and look at the root causes and other circumstances. Did you just forget to eat, or have you lost your appetite? Are you eating healthier, or just eating less?
You cry more, or snap at people
Most people think of depression as “sadness,” but counter-intuitively, miss crying as an early warning sign of depression. Often, crying is stigmatized, especially in women. It’s seen as a sign of over-sensitivity or weakness, not of serious mental illness. Crying is also a fairly normal emotional response, so if you’re crying after a loss (e.g., death, breakup), it often goes unnoticed. In women, hormonal fluctuations can also lead to frequent crying that isn’t depression-related.
That said, if you’re crying much more frequently than usual, it’s likely a sign of a more serious issue. The psychological and hormonal imbalances that lead to depression can also cause frequent weariness. For some folks, however, this sadness or low mood is expressed as grouchiness or irritability. If you’re usually fairly emotionally stable and suddenly notice yourself overreacting, whether through tears or anger, it might be time to seek help.
You feel numb or you’re super negative
On the flip side, some people with early depression stop feeling much at all. Instead of being chronically upset or agitated, they just don’t really feel anything. Whether or not this describes you well, a good test is to look at how you’ve been interacting with the world. Even if you don’t feel much, you might notice that the way you speak to people has changed. For example, the tone of your communication might be more negative, and your outlook on life more pessimistic.
One technique to make sense of your feelings is to look through your past messages or journal entries. Look at the way you describe things, the emojis you use, or how much you have to say about your day. For example, maybe you normally send your friends long voice notes about all the exciting things you did. If you suddenly find yourself responding to “Omg, how are you?!” with “fine,” it might be time to look into the possibility of depression.
When to get help right away
The early warning signs of depression can be subtle and easy to miss. Plus, everyone is different, so a warning sign in one person can be a positive sign in another. The best solution is to trust yourself, know your habits, and trust your loved ones. Know what your version of normal looks like, so you and your loved ones can understand when something seems off.
Adam Mulligan, a psychology graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, has a keen interest in the fields of mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.