For many people, symptoms of somatized depression can become chronic - with many episodes and disruptions. This can be very demoralizing when you realize that your depression and symptoms of sadness, fatigue and irritability have reappeared.
It is important to understand when depression is about to return in order to act immediately.
Contact your GP and talk about the symptoms you notice. Below you will find information on nine signs indicating a recurrence of depression to know when the episode is close.
More than a bad day
How can you say that this is depression, and not just a bad and sad period? You should ask yourself a few questions about events in your life.
What somatized depression, symptoms and treatment are, you will learn today from this article.
Are you sad about something that happened at work? Have a problem with your life partner? There may be only single moments of sadness, but if you feel hopeless, you realize that you want to cry for no reason, and if you are empty inside for more than two weeks, this may be an episode of somatized depression.
Do you want to isolate yourself
Are you actively and joyfully leaving your home? Do you think that a short conversation with a friend you know is too complicated? Are you socially isolated when a friend wants to "pull" you out of your home? The fact that you do not want to, do not seek to communicate with friends, is a sign of depression. A support group is not just a healthy way to protect yourself from it, but also a very important factor to lead a full life. Somatized depression, treatment and symptoms will now be easy and understandable for you.
You have a sleep disorder
If you cannot fall asleep, you are likely to exacerbate other symptoms of depression, such as fatigue. The most common sleep disorder in people diagnosed with depression is insomnia. Somatized depression, symptoms and treatment of this disease are now at a glance.
You are more annoying than usual
Depression can also manifest in symptoms of irritability. Those who have a relaxed lifestyle can argue with their loved ones, not realizing that depression speaks for them. This leads to a sharp decrease in stress tolerance.
People diagnosed with depression are more likely to be stupid, nervous, or even aggressive.
If you don't like it anymore
If you no longer enjoy going out with your friends, having fun in your free time, or having sex with your partner, you may again be affected by a disease called "masked somatized depression." If you have been diagnosed with depression in the past and now you notice that your feelings for your spouse or children have cooled or your hobbies and work do not bring you the same satisfaction as before, it's time to talk with your doctor. Your doctor will provide treatment for somatized depression and reviews about this method.
Symptoms of depression can return at any time.
A sense of futility torments you
Old ideas and feelings of disgust and hatred directed at your loved one may reappear. They can hide when self-criticism appears, which usually increases as an episode of depression approaches. A positive mentality can turn into a problem of concentration with a deep focus on your failures and weaknesses.
You can blame yourself for situations that are not under your control, or think that everything that happens badly is your fault.
By discussing this with your GP, you can increase your self-confidence.
Unexplained pain
Depression also has a physical form. You may feel back pain, even if you haven’t done anything all day. Unexplained pain can also occur throughout the body or in the joints of the legs or arms.
Ask your doctor what your pain is associated with. Perhaps it is associated with the onset of depression or other illnesses.
Increase or sudden weight loss
You can understand that you once forgot to eat or that you ate too much - something repeated for two weeks. And if there are still days when you have to force yourself to eat, then these changes in appetite mean a depressive episode.
Do you feel exhausted?
The fact that you feel slower in movement or think that you can no longer concentrate on the tasks facing you is a serious sign of depression.
Problems appear gradually - one morning you will have a very hard time deciding what you want to wear, the other day you cannot make a choice - what to eat. Or it is very difficult for you to reply to work mail. All these little things can become obstacles in everyday life. The main element of depression is a depressed, sad, apparently unreasonable mood, present most of the time. In children and adolescents, this condition can be irritability, not sadness. A person suffering from depression feels sad, desperate, discouraged, powerless.
It can also manifest itself in a marked decrease in interest in all or almost all types of activities. All areas of life may be affected. Some people report that they are no longer interested in hobbies, activities that they previously thought were enjoyable, fun.
They retreat socially and increasingly neglect the usual actions that were previously considered enjoyable. For example, they don’t go to the movies, don’t make purchases, don’t read, don’t play with children, don’t play tennis and so on.
A change in body weight of more than 5% within a month is a symptom that is usually ignored - it can be significant weight loss or its increase.
A depressive person often says, "I don’t care now," "I’m not interested anymore." During depression, sleep is disturbed. Insomnia is very common. People wake up at night and cannot fall asleep. Sleep is considered impregnable and painful, regardless of its length.
Also of interest is information about the disease somatized depression in options according to Desyatnikov.
Desyatnikov explains such latent depression syndromes as: drug addiction, obsessive-phobic, agrippnic (with sleep disorders), hypothalamic (vegetovisceral, vasomotor-allergic, pseudo-asthmatic).
Changes in motor behavior, apathy, or psychomotor slowness may also occur. Depression can manifest itself in the inability to sit still: you want to walk, yank your hands, rub and involuntarily touch your clothes. Psychomotor penetration of problems is present in the movements of speech, thought or body.
Somatized depressions as a psychosomatic disorder are considered by many specialists, doctors and analysts.
Fatigue or lack of energy dominates - even the smallest tasks seem to require considerable effort. There is a feeling of worthlessness, excessive or inadequate guilt. For example, excessive concern about guilt over minor past events. Overly negative assessment of a dear person. Depressed people especially complain about problems with memory or concentration, even when performing light tasks, which leads to a decrease in the ability to think, focus or make decisions.
Negative thoughts, death, or suicidal thoughts often occur in people with depression and can be as little as 1-2 minute transitions to real plans for committing suicide. Globally, about 800 thousand people commit suicide every year, a significant part of them suffer from depression. Moreover, for every person who commits suicide, there are ten or more acquaintances who have had suicide attempts.
Other symptoms may also be noted:
- headache;
- abdominal pain;
- joint pain
- anxiety;
- panic attacks;
- excessive concern for their physical health;
- phobias;
- difficulties in intimate relationships;
- low libido;
- abuse of alcohol or other substances.
I don't know if my sadness matters
We all have various problems or too high expectations that we did not have before, but this does not mean that we are in a state of depression. However, a depression or depressive episode is a combination of several emotional, physical, behavioral and cognitive symptoms. And if sadness, irritability and other symptoms are felt in your life, then you should consult a specialist as soon as possible!
If the number of symptoms is present for most of the day / almost every day / for at least two weeks from the onset / appeared at present or is clearly aggravated compared to the previous state of a person / significantly worsen social, professional or other areas of human activity. For some people, this malfunction may not be felt so clearly, it may be reported by the person concerned, or it may be noticed by other people.
Depression can be cured and can also be controlled by psychotherapy. Depression is a condition that is often not diagnosed, and those who suffer from it are often stigmatized and convinced that this is not a real problem. In fact, depression can affect anyone from young to old, and it is one of the most common diseases in the world.
Problem statistics
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2004, the disease affected about 350 million people of all ages. It is the third leading cause of global disability in 2004, and by 2020 it will be the main cause.
Statistics show that 15% of us suffer from depression at some point in our lives. Despite the fact that treatment and antidepressants can be effective in 60-80% of cases, only 25% of those who have experienced this have effectively recovered. Reasons: lack of resources, lack of specialized medical personnel, social programs related to mental illness, inadequate assessment of the problem.
Some symptoms of depression may include:
- Feeling guilty of something.
- Trouble sleeping.
- Excitability and irritability.
- Low energy and constant fatigue.
- Low concentration.
- Sad mood.
Depression can lead to suicide. According to WHO estimates, approximately 800 thousand people commit suicide every year, and a significant part of them suffer from depression. Depression is a disease that often begins in young years, with a high risk of relapse (the possibility of a recurrence of depressive episodes throughout life). The average age of onset of depression is about 40 years, with 50% of affected people “falling ill” between the ages of 20 and 50. Over the past decade, studies have shown an increase in the frequency of depression in people under the age of 20 years, possibly due to an increase in alcohol or drug use in this age group.
Many psychotherapists believe that drugs are not very effective in treating somatized depression. And it’s better to turn to psychiatrists.
Regardless of the country, culture, socio-economic standard, it has been observed that there are more women suffering from depression than men. According to the WHO, from 1 to 2 out of 10 mothers become depressed after giving birth, which affects the mother’s ability to take care of her child, and therefore affects the development of the child.