As its Mental Health Awareness week, we have listed below a reminder of the signs of depression. We hope this helps teachers spot early symptoms for themselves and others. In order to increase your mental health awareness, we have split signs into psychological, physical and social symptoms. We hope this helps you to understand the vast number of symptoms there are.
Did you know that one in five adults experienced some form of depression at the beginning of this year? This is twice as many as before the pandemic struck.
Psychological symptoms:
- continuous low mood or sadness
- feeling hopeless and helpless
- having low self-esteem
- feeling tearful
- feeling guilt-ridden
- feeling irritable and intolerant of others
- having no motivation or interest in things
- finding it difficult to make decisions
- not getting any enjoyment out of life
- feeling anxious or worried
- having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself
Physical symptoms:
- moving or speaking more slowly than usual
- changes in appetite or weight (usually decreased, but sometimes increased)
- constipation
- unexplained aches and pains
- lack of energy
- low sex drive (loss of libido)
- changes to your menstrual cycle
- disturbed sleep – for example, finding it difficult to fall asleep at night or waking up very early in the morning
Social symptoms:
- avoiding contact with friends and taking part in fewer social activities
- neglecting your hobbies and interests
- having difficulties in your home, work or family life
Did you know that depression can be experienced at different levels? You may experience it as mild, moderate or severe. As a rule of thumb, if you are experiencing some of these symptoms for more than 2 weeks, it is advised you consult your GP. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, don’t delay, speak to someone as soon as possible. Here we have listed below some organisations and charities that may be able to help:
- Mental Health First Aid England
- Every Mind Matters | One You – NHS
- No Panic
- Anxiety UK
- Samaritans
- Shout 85258