How many times are you just waking up, sitting around without motivation for the day? It’s Ok if you don’t want to share this but it happens to many of us. You may not have the desire to do simple things like bathing, sleeping, eating or talking to anyone. You may call it tiredness, depression or don’t even have an explanation for it?

Like many others, I found myself in this situation before. I just wasn’t happy; I woke up one day with pure sadness, I wasn’t eating much and was on autopilot mood. I literally drove to the wrong address for work; and didn’t realize it until I parked my car.

What’s wrong? I got this question a lot from loved ones. I just couldn’t find an answer or couldn’t express myself. I felt empty and weak to the point where a task that could be done in 20 minutes, lasted an hour or two. My schedule from work is already been crazy and I feel like I wasn’t on top of my game. On the same note, I was telling myself that I am not depressed, that it was just me having a moment but it was more than a moment. But, I came to realized that I may be depressed! Not that I am trying to diagnose myself, but all the persistent lowering moods led me to this conclusion.

What is depression?

Clinical depression is an illness, a medical condition. It significantly affects the way someone feels, causing a persistent lowering of mood.

Depression is often accompanied by a range of other physical and psychological symptoms that can interfere with the way a person is able to function in their everyday life. The symptoms of depression generally react positively to treatment.

What causes depression?

Some people may have a genetic predisposition to depression, which can then be triggered by a stressful event. Depression can be caused by a reaction to a distressing situation like loss, stress, extreme mods etc. Some of the symptoms are: feeling extremely sad or numb, loss of interest and motivation, loss of pleasure in activities, impaired thinking or concentration, loss of appetite, feeling worthless and sleep disturbances.

I came to this conclusion because depression is not feeling down for an hour out of your day. Depression can hit you at any moment; either at home, work or that party. Depression is not having the urge to brush your hair or not sure when the genuine smile will be on your face. I smile a lot and people who knows me probably say that’s not you, you are such a happy person but I tell you that smiling depression is the worst.

Depression is not fun and affects so many people. It’s okay to scream, you are human; not a superhero or bulletproof. Once, you feel better, admit it and go on with your life and keep smiling. Please, if it persists, get a second opinion from a doctor, psychologist, or other health professional about their symptoms, and alternative ways to manage. Also, find out about local community support programs.

This is a great tool I found online. It is not a screening tool for depression; however, it can be used to make a tentative diagnosis of depression in at-risk populations

https://patient.info/doctor/patient-health-questionnaire-phq-9