Early Warning Signs of Depression in Men and Women

Early Warning Signs of Depression in Men and Women

The level of depression could largely vary according to the age of the person as well as the gender. Equally applicable are the signs and symptoms. Here are some early warning signs of depression broken down in detail.

Depression in Men
Many studies have proven that there is a very low chance that men acknowledge their feelings of hopelessness. One out of 20 men, on average, will open up about their self-loathing attitude. However, one of the early signs would be irritability, problems with sleep and loss of interest in work, hobbies, and sex. For men in their middle age, sudden bouts of anger for no or frivolous reasons could be major early warning signs of depression.

Depression in Teenage Boys and Young Men
The pressure to educate themselves properly, fear of facing the world, exploring questions like “What am I doing in this world?” “What is my purpose?” and “Who am I?” These questions could certainly be daunting for a young mind. Some succumb to the insane competition that is existing in the world and feel depressed. In this scenario, some of the common symptoms would be reckless behavior, substance abuse and difficulties in focusing and memory loss.

Depression in Women
Women go through so many different stages in their lives and are more likely to experience symptoms of depression than men. Some of the early symptoms include feelings of guilt that are highly pronounced, sleeping in excess, weight gain, and overeating, tendency to care less about oneself. Depression also sets in due to the hormonal changes that occur in women during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Moreover, studies have shown that postpartum depression affects up to one in seven women. Yet another early earning sign in the case of depression in women would be muscle pains and aches. Most of them develop tightness in their muscle, especially in and around the neck region. Even men experience muscle pain but it seems to be more common among women than men. Men, on the other hand, do claim to get back pain As one of the early signs.

Depression in Teenage Girls
Quite similar to boys of the same age group except that they have are known to have higher irritability along with instances of frequent headaches. Frequent stomach pain is also another early warning symptom. However, the good news of that, in most cases, depression in teenage boys and girls gets resolves themselves over a period of time.

Depression in Older Adults
This is the senior age group we are referring to. Physical manifestations seem to take over more than any emotional aspect. Some of the early warning signs of depression in older adults include fatigue, pain and memory problems, pains and unexplained aches.

Depression can be of various intensities, like mild, moderate, and major. But even the symptoms of mild depression could affect one’s life. In the case of moderate depression, the symptoms only amplify.