Depression May Not Always Make You Feel Sad—5 Signs To Look Out For

Many people believe that depression is synonymous with deep sadness. But this is a misconception. Sometimes, people who have depression don’t experience much sadness at all. But they may feel numb, frustrated, or even angry,

Because of this misunderstanding, some people who are struggling with their mental health do not realize that they might suffer from depression. They might assume that they should be able to simply “get over” their symptoms or tough it out.

Since they aren’t feeling sad, they don’t suspect that they are dealing with clinical depression. It’s important to keep an eye out for these lesser-known symptoms of depression so that you can seek help if you need it.

Emotional Numbness

Many people who live with depression don’t necessarily feel sad. Instead, they feel emotionally numb. In other words, on most days they don’t feel much of anything.

If you’ve been dealing with this symptom, you might not describe yourself as sad. But you certainly wouldn’t describe yourself as happy or content, either. You may feel frustrated that events that should spark some kind of emotional reaction from you no longer seem important.

Anger

Anger is a little-known symptom of depression. When someone has depression, they may not know how to make sense of their complicated emotions. And they may even feel angry at themselves for being unable to just let go of what they’ve been dealing with.

They might take this anger out on those around them, or they might try to suppress it out of shame. Because many people do not recognize that anger is actually a warning sign of depression, they might not reach out for help.

Irritability

Depression doesn’t always make people angry. But this condition can make you quite irritable. You might feel like something is always getting under your skin, even things seem to be going fine.

Small inconveniences can set you off in a way they never did before. Maybe you used to be able to deal with minor mistakes and stay calm, but now, you feel you just can’t handle it.

Even if you manage to stop yourself from picking fights with people when you get annoyed, trying to get a handle on these emotions can be exhausting.

Fatigue

Perhaps you’ve been feeling tired more often. No matter how much sleep you get, you never feel truly refreshed. During the workday, you have to resist the urge to nap at your desk.

Maybe you barely have the energy for the activities you used to love. You regret that you’re missing out on so much, but some days, all you can bring yourself to do is lay in bed. And it’s not because you’re lazy; you’re simply so fatigued that you don’t have the strength to do anything else. Fatigue and exhaustion are common symptoms of depression.

Pessimism

Maybe you don’t spend your days dwelling in sadness. But you can’t say that you feel optimistic about the future, either. You don’t feel you have much to look forward to. Most days, you just seem to go through the motions, and you’re not really sure what you’re supposed to be working towards.

You have little motivation to make plans for the future. And when you think about the coming weeks or months, you usually feel fairly pessimistic. You don’t expect things to get better—if anything, you believe they might get worse. A pessimistic outlook can be a red flag for depression.

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Are you struggling with symptoms of depression? Talking to a therapist can help. Reach out to me today to discuss your options for scheduling your first session.

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