Physical Symptoms of Depression

Depression is a condition that is experienced by many people around the world and is called the "common cold of mental health". Read on to know about the physical symptoms of depression.

Depression is a condition which is experienced by all human beings. Life is a combination of happiness and sadness and every human being learn to cope with both these states of mind. It is normal to feel depressed due to certain situations in life like problems in personal or professional life, health issues, frustration, etc. However, when a person continues to feel depressed for a longer period of time and is not able to concentrate on daily activities, it can be said that the person has clinical depression.

Depression is a mild bipolar disorder, but if not diagnosed and treated properly, can lead to a serious condition. Emotional symptoms like feeling anxious, irritated, restless, worthless, hopeless and sad are quite common when a person feels depressed. Negative thoughts linger around his or her mind, to the extent that he contemplates about committing suicide. However, in addition to psychological symptoms, an individual also faces some physical symptoms while feeling depressed.

Physical Symptoms of Depression

Headache

Headache is known to be a very common symptom in depressed people. Some people experience a mild headache, while others have a wild and severe one. It is also observed that the severity of headache increases, if the person has had migraine attacks in the past.

Chest Pain and Back Pain

When a person reaches the stage of extreme depression, he is likely to feel pain in the chest. Researches have found a link between depression and heart diseases. A person feeling depressed can also experience pain in the lower back, neck or in other joints and muscles of the body. If he has a history of back pain, it is quite likely that the problem aggravates, giving rise to excruciating pain.

Change in Appetite and Weight Loss

A major change in appetite can be seen in depressed people. Some people start eating excessively, leading to weight gain, while there are some who lose their weight because they stop eating, when they are depressed.

Disturbances in Sleep Patterns

It is usually found that when a person is under depression, he is not able to sleep. People lay awake for hours without sleeping. Sometimes, they wake up at night and have difficulty in falling asleep again. This may increase their frustration further. This condition where there is loss of sleep, is known as insomnia.

Digestive Problems and Nausea

Depression is found to affect the digestive system of human beings. A depressed person may experience indigestion, difficulty in urinating, chronic constipation and diarrhea. It has also been found that there is a connection between irritable bowel syndrome and depression. It is also commonly seen that a person who is depressed feels nauseous and giddy, frequently.

Exhaustion and Fatigue

People who are depressed are known to get exhausted, even after doing simple and small tasks. The fatigueness and weakness are so severe, that they do not leave the person even after sleeping or taking enough rest.

Loss of Interest in Sex

It is commonly seen that people under depression lose interest in sexual activity and sometimes it may also lead to impotence.

Actually, there is an inter-relation between physical pain and depression. As depression causes these physical symptoms, physical pain also lead to depression in a person. When a person is experiencing intense and continuous pain, it is likely that he gets depressed.

Physicians can face a little difficulty to detect depression in a person, by observing his physical symptoms, as these physical problems can also be the cause of some major ailment or disease. However, once detected, the person can be cured by giving appropriate treatment. One should remember that it is not impossible to come out of depression. All a person needs is proper treatment and care.