Dec 17, 2024
Depression is a common mental health issue that affects around 280 million people worldwide. Around 12% of people will have Major Depressive Disorder at least once in their lifetime. Many people are aware of the emotional symptoms of depression. A deep sadness, numbness, exhaustion, and lack of joy are commonly expressed emotional symptoms. Cognitive symptoms are well known too; many people have spoken up about what depression feels like to them.
Lesser known symptoms are the physical symptoms of depression. Depression can have a massive impact on the body, including a higher risk for cardiovascular issues and decreased immune health. Many people who experience these physical symptoms of depression don’t seek help because they don’t know it is depression.
It’s important to understand and be able to identify the physical symptoms of depression. This guide will go over the top 7 physical signs of depression.
Physical symptoms of depression
Physical symptoms of depression can easily be mistaken as a physical health issue. If you recognize these 7 physical signs of depression and resonate with the emotional and cognitive symptoms, talk to your doctor about a depression diagnosis.
Unexplained muscle aches and headaches
Depression can cause unexplained pains like muscle aches and headaches. This often appears as back pain, muscle soreness, and frequent headaches. Over time, these muscles and headaches can prevent you from engaging in the things you enjoy, further exacerbating depression.
Tiredness and fatigue
Depression can make you feel deeply fatigued and exhausted. It may feel like you didn’t get a good night's sleep for weeks on end, you have no energy, or your brain is stuffed with cotton balls.
Flat Affect
Flat affect is when you don’t express emotions even if you’re feeling them deeply. It can look like a toneless voice and little to no facial expressions or other nonverbal cues like hand motions and body language.
Slowed Speech and Movements
Depression has the unusual effect of slowing motions and speech. You may recognize someone is depressed because they take longer to respond to questions, talk slower, and seem to move at a slower pace. Every little movement may feel like a monumental effort and it takes time to get the energy you’ll need.
Reduced Libido
Another common side effect of depression is reduced libido. Not only does depression make it difficult to find joy in previously enjoyed activities, but the low energy and negative thoughts can make it hard to feel attractive or be attractive to others. If you’ve been experiencing low libido as a result of depression or antidepressants, know that there isn’t anything wrong with you. You are experiencing a common side effect of a common mental health issue. With treatment, this symptom will go away.
Changes in Appetite
The energy it takes to make food may feel insurmountable for people with depression. As a result, they may eat less. Depression can often act as an appetite suppressor as well; making people feel not hungry even if they haven’t eaten all day. Other times, depression can make people eat more food, sometimes to feel something, and other times to try and numb emotions of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness.
Changes in Sleep
Depression can make it very hard to sleep. Most people with depression will swing to one of two extremes: They will either always be exhausted and want sleep—taking “depression naps”, sleeping past their alarm, and nodding off during the day—or have trouble sleeping and develop insomnia—may be accompanied by procrastination bedtimes, doom scrolling, binging comfortable TV shows at night, or feeling unable to sleep because of the overwhelming thoughts and emotions inside you.
Nausea and other Digestion Issues
Depression can cause nausea. Our brains and gut are very well connected, meaning our physical and mental health are also connected. Depression can bring with it a lot of stress, which has a strong link to nausea, but depression can also cause nausea without also causing stress. Depression is a mental illness, and our bodies may react to that illness in different ways.
Can depression make you physically sick?
Yes. In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to feel the physical symptoms of depression more acutely than the emotional or cognitive symptoms, and be misdiagnosed as a result. Depression will looks different in everyone. If you recognize the above physical signs of depression, talk to a therapist or your primary care physician about being referred to a psychiatrist for depression testing.
Curious if you have depression but not ready to see a medical professional yet? Take our free, online depression test! Reviewed by clinical therapists, it is a tool to gauge how likely you are to have depression. It is not a diagnostic tool but can inform how you seek help.
Treatment for Depression
Depression can be treated in a variety of different ways. In general, a therapist will recommend a combination of these three types of treatments for depression:
- Psychotherapy: Also known as talk therapy, psychotherapy involves meeting with a therapist to discuss your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy are common types of psychotherapy.
- Medication: Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to help manage depression symptoms. There are different types of antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and others.
- Lifestyle changes: Depression has many causes, including genetic and environmental. Environmental triggers may be chronic stress, physical health issues, or lack of sunshine. Through lifestyle changes, depression symptoms can be alleviated. For example, eating healthy foods, getting plenty of sleep, leaving a toxic relationship, or sitting with a sunshine lamp every morning are all lifestyle changes that can help you feel better without therapy or medication. (Although therapy and medication may still be needed.)
These are just a few examples of the types of treatments available for depression. For a more detailed approach, talk to a therapist. Lifebulb Counseling and Therapy has online depression therapists near you who can make you a personalized treatment plan that addresses your individual symptoms and gets to the root cause of the depression.
Don’t wait. You deserve to be free from depression. Talk to a therapist today.
