10 Signs that you may be suffering from Depression

In 2010, like Robin Williams, I was diagnoses with depression. However, fortunately for me I was able to go get help and now 5 years later I live a much happier and productive life. At the time before I was diagnosed. I thought I was just going through a “rough patch in life” and I was just experiencing a sad time in my life.

My psychiatrists ask if I had any of the symptoms listed below. After telling him that I had several of them. He told me that I was suffering from depression which was a shock to me at the time but now looking back, it made sense that I was suffering from depression. Also I wished I had been made aware of these symptoms earlier and therefore I would have gone earlier for treatment. Because the longer you are in depression it takes just as long to climb out of it. 

So that is my reason for sharing these symptoms with you. If you are experiencing any of the below symptoms you may want to have yourself checked out by a professional for depression. They are as follows:

1. Depression can affect your body as well as your mind. Trouble falling or staying asleep is common in people who are depressed. But some may find that they get too much shut-eye.
2. If you feel so tired that you don't have energy for everyday tasks -- even when you sleep or rest a lot -- it may be a sign that you're depressed. Depression and fatigue together tend to make both conditions seem worse.
3. Depression can get you in your gut too -- causing nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation.
4. Some people feel less hungry when they get depressed. Others can't stop eating. The result can be weight gain or loss, along with lack of energy. 
5. Back pain-When it hurts you there on a regular basis, it may contribute to depression. And people who are depressed may be four times more likely to get intense, disabling neck or back pain.
6. Agitated and Restless - Sleep problems or other depression symptoms can make you feel this way. Men are more likely than women to be irritable when they're depressed.
7. If you're depressed, you might lose your interest in sex. Some prescription drugs that treat depression can also take away your drive and affect performance. Talk to your doctor about your medicine options.
8. Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions.
9. Headaches- One study shows that people with major depressions are three times more likely to have migraines, and people with migraines are five times more likely to get depressed.
10. Joint Pain-Depression may also lead to pain because the two conditions have chemical messengers in the brain. People who are depresed are three times as likely to get regular pain.

Research suggests exercising, that if you do it regularly, it releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good, improve your mood, and reduce your sensitivity to pain.

Although physical activity alone won't cure depression, it can help ease it over the long term.

If you're depressed, it can sometimes be hard to get the energy to exercise. But try to remember that it can ease fatigue and help you sleep better.

If you would like more details on symptoms of depression. Download our FREE Depression Symptons list by clicking on the blue button below.

Written by Mark Nolte- Founder & CEO of StartTalking and a former suffer of depression.