9 Warning Signs of Severe Depression

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- [Narrator] Hey, Psych2Goers.

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Now, back to the video.

Do you find it more and more
difficult to get out of bed?

Has your mood been all
over the place lately?

While depression is a common
mental health condition,

it's also subtle and can
sometimes be hard to identify.

It's mainly characterized by a
persistent feeling of sadness

that can negatively
impact the way you think

and behave in a number of ways.

So here are nine signs
of severe depression.

Before we begin, we would like to mention

that this video is created
for educational purposes only

and is not intended to substitute
a professional diagnosis.

If you suspect you may
have severe depression

or any mental health condition,

we highly advise you to seek help

from a qualified mental
health professional.

Number one, you feel overwhelming sadness,

hopelessness and grief.

Do you always feel very emotional?

These persistent and overwhelming feelings

may be easily triggered
and difficult to control

and can make it harder to concentrate

and focus on things you need to do.

This can make you feel emotionally drained

and impact your daily functioning.

In some cases, you may even feel hopeless

and that life is no longer worth living

which is considered a medical emergency.

Number two, you find it difficult
to take care of yourself.

Does self-care feel like a lot of work

when you're depressed?

Trying to get anything done

may seem to take too much time and energy

so priorities go by the wayside.

Simple acts such as showering, shaving

and washing clothes can become difficult.

Your eating habits may
also change drastically

from not wanting to eat
at all to eating too much

or the other way around.

These neglectful habits in
turn can cause more issues

that worsen your mental
and physical wellbeing.

Number three, you lose interest
in your favorite activities.

Have you lost interest in
the hobbies you used to love?

Anhedonia is characterized

by losing pleasure in
activities you normally enjoy.

This emotional numbness may
be due to the lack of energy

you have from depression.

The negative emotions you experience

can be physically and mentally taxing

to the point you become
emotionally drained

and find no pleasure in the
activities you used to enjoy.

Number four, you are overwhelmed
with negative thoughts.

Do you feel dread that something
bad will happen to you?

Do you believe you lack value

or that you're disliked
by those around you?

These thoughts may be
debilitating, painful and loud

to the point where some
may turn to substance abuse

to lessen the pain.

The negative thoughts are often linked

with feelings of sadness,
hopelessness and grief

which can make it very
difficult to function normally

in your daily life.

Number five, you feel empty and alone.

Do you feel like you're
all alone in your feelings

and that no one can understand
what you're going through?

Depression can be an isolating experience.

These feelings can be overwhelming

and affect your perception of yourself.

It may even cause you to
cut yourself off from others

either intentionally or not

which can worsen your
feelings of loneliness.

Number six, you feel drained.

Are you always sleepy?

Do you find yourself
spending more time in bed

than you used to?

Depression is physically,
emotionally and mentally taxing.

It can make even the smallest
task hard to complete.

This worn out feeling can
affect your concentration

and focus and may impact
your work or school life.

This may also affect your social life

since you may have a harder time

keeping up with the energies
of your family and friends.

Number seven, you experience
severe mood swings.

Do you go from feeling happy
to extreme sadness or anger

with little provocation?

Mood swings are common in
depression in can be severe.

You may end up saying or
doing things you don't mean

and reacting to something in
a disproportionate manner.

It's a cause for concern

if you find yourself suddenly lashing out

at your friends for no reason

or feeling extremely upset
over something trivial.

Number eight, you experience
psychotic symptoms.

Do you find it difficult to distinguish

what is real and what is not?

Psychosis in depression is rare

but it can be a side effect
of severe clinical depression.

Some face hallucinations
or experience false beliefs

while others have reported
feeling an overwhelming sense

that they're being punished for something.

Getting diagnosed if you're
experiencing psychotic symptoms

is especially important

as they can be a sign
of a different disorder.

Number nine, you think about death.

Suicide is a dark aspect of depression.

People in this state

may feel like there's no point in going on

or that the world may be
better off without them.

Suicide is considered an emergency

and any ideation and tendencies

should be treated with high priority.

If you or someone you know
is having suicidal thoughts,

we've included the number
of resources and hotlines

in the description box below.

Do you relate to any of
the signs mentioned here?

Tell us about it in the comments below.

If this video helped you, please like

and share it with others
who may find it helpful too.

Don't forget to subscribe to Psych2Go

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All the references used

are also added in the
description box below.

Thank you for watching
and we'll see you soon.