…profoundly low mood that will not go away. Perhaps you face an inability to experience pleasure. With depression, life seems to have lost its luster and meaning, leaving you feeling drained, hollow, and increasingly unable to function.
…difficulty thinking as clearly as you normally do. Your thoughts feel dull, cloudy, slow--and you might feel irritated with yourself for not being as quick as you are used to being. You may feel embarrassed with work that is not done to the degree of which you know you are capable.
…unexpected changes in appetite, weight, or sleep. It can be distressing to find your body reacting in such a physical way to depression. You might find you can no longer muster an appetite, or that your weight is climbing. Perhaps you feel exhausted and cannot sleep, or that you seem to sleep all the time.
…mood swings from mania to depression. You might live life in an unpredictable swing from boundless energy, enthusiasm, and risk, to a pit of despair. With a bipolar disorder, it can feel as if you are never quite "level," but caught between extremes of being.
…self-harming or suicidal thoughts or behavior. It can feel deeply isolating to have these thoughts and experiences, and feel as if you cannot share them with others for fear of their reaction.
IMPORTANT: If you are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 988 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK
