Signs of Depression and Dysthymia: Mental Health Issues and Solution

Depression signs

The very first sign is that Often when we can push ourselves to function in our daily life, it leaves no extra effort for socializing. We may find ourselves canceling plans, just wanting to be alone a lot, and completely withdrawing from those that we love and who we care for.

The second sign or symptom is feeling extra irritable. When we aren't feeling our best,we can have very little patience for the people in our lives. We may find everyone is just getting on our nerves, and we could even start fights with those that we love. So, notice if everything people do around you and everyone around you just seems to be extremely frustrating and annoying.

The third sign or symptom is are you constantly tired? Are you barely able to get all that you need to get completed every day, and then you feel wiped out afterward? Do you feel like now you're always tired when you used to feel like you just had so much energy? That's one of the most common signs of depression as a whole, and more specifically, dysthymia.

The next sign or symptom is you struggle to concentrate. Often when we're reading and rereading emails still not knowing what they even said or what they need from us. Maybe it's hard for you to focus or even watch TV. Most of my clients who struggle with high-functioning depression tell me that they have a tough time even following a plot in a movie or a TV show and will have to go back and rewatch portions of it, like rewinding it, so that they can understand what's happening. And this can be extremely frustrating and make school and work that much more difficult.

The next sign or symptom is are you using unhealthy coping skills more and more? This can be something like drinking a lot of alcohol if we find ourselves having a cocktail every night after school or work, or maybe we're just zoning out in front of the TV or playing a video game and not even connecting with others in our lives. This could also just be us overeating if we find ourselves eating more just to numb out or ignore all that we may be feeling. So if you find yourself slipping back into the old, or even maybe new, unhealthy habits, please reach out and talk to someone about it. Getting a handle on these issues early allows us to find healthier coping skills to replace them. And when we get help more quickly, versus waiting years and years, it just makes the whole process easier because those unhealthy coping skills aren't so rooted in us and almost like a knee-jerk reaction. Instead, they're just starting to develop, and we can easily squash them and put a healthy coping skill in place.

The next sign or symptom is constant worry about the past or future, and I truly believe that this occurs because anxiety and depression are close friends. And so this can look like you ruminating at night about the things that you said years ago that were hurtful to a friend or constantly worrying and super concerned about what may happen tomorrow or how you're gonna figure out what you're doin' with your life in the next 20 years. It can be short-term or long-term, but we're worrying constantly about the past or future. Some of the ways that my patients have reported experiencing this is struggling to get to sleep because you just can't stop going over and over that stupid thing that you said years ago, or maybe you can't get to sleep because you're so worried about tomorrow or maybe next week or if you always feel like you're unable to control and stop those negative worry-focused thought cycles. What that truly could be is high-functioning depression.

Now on to the most important part:

If any of those signs and symptoms rang true for you and you kept nodding along, thinking, yes, that's me, what do we do about it? If you worry that you struggle with dysthymia or high-functioning depression, please, please, please, reach out for help.

Those of us going through it often go untreated for years. As I said, the diagnostic criteria for dysthymia is two years of low-grade depression. Don't let that be you. The sooner we reach out and get some help, the less time we will spend feeling bad. For many people, all that's needed is talk therapy. Just having a space to vent about all that we're feeling can be so beneficial, while others find medication to be super helpful. And I know not everyone's interested in medication but know that there are options available. Find a treatment that works for you. It could be talk therapy and medication together. But whatever it is, please speak up and reach out as soon as possible, because with proper care, it can and will get better.

Depression dysthymia mental health issues problems solution