Jan 11, 2026
Depression
Let’s start, shall we? This past week has been kicking me while I’m in a fetal position. It’s been one thing after another. Between my daughter’s appointments, my own appointments, losing people, and fearing my daughter may lose her best friend, I feel like I’m losing it. I’ve lost friends because of the way our lives have changed. Them being taken from family members because Mexican restaurants were hit. My daughter’s friend is from a Mexican background as well, and I’m terrified their family is going to be taken too. With all of it happening, I’ve been breaking down every night, struggling to get through the next day terrified of who might be taken next. Terrified of what I may have to tell my daughter if that time comes. Personally, my depression has been kicking me while I’m down. It’s made things feel like a chore, also meaning I have been putting off typing this up for my blog. And it’s made my depression worse in the end because I want to keep reaching people. Even if it’s someone learning about mental health, receiving donations to help others, anything, I want to keep going. I want to keep trying. So, I’m doing the smaller things of self-care.
Going off of all that, because I wanted to share a personal experience, even if it’s not much. Let’s go ahead and go over a few things about depression. It can be considered a disability actually, that’s how bad it can get. You just need the required documents to prove you can’t work or do much because of it. It’s a war in your own mind, feeling so worthless most days and feeling like everyone would be better off without you. It’a common diagnosis too, but there are a lot of variations of depression. From a very light diagnosis, to a severe one that often ends with someone losing their war. It’s also classified as a mood disorder. You can have episodes during your depression as well and they include:
- Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
- Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
- Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
- Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
- Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
- Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
- Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
- Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
- Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
- Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
- Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
For kids and teens it’s about the same, with daily life having problems and things seemingly falling apart, especially if they don’t feel like they have support:
- In younger children, symptoms of depression may include sadness, irritability, clinginess, worry, aches and pains, refusing to go to school, or being underweight.
- In teens, symptoms may include sadness, irritability, feeling negative and worthless, anger, poor performance or poor attendance at school, feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive, using recreational drugs or alcohol, eating or sleeping too much, self-harm, loss of interest in normal activities, and avoidance of social interaction.
For most adults, it’s harder to notice and diagnose. People pay more attention to kids and teens, but don’t really pay attention to other adults because they assume it’s probably stress related only or that their friend just doesn’t like them anymore or doesn’t care about things. They don’t see it as depression, they see it as lazy:
- Memory difficulties or personality changes
- Physical aches or pain
- Fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep problems or loss of interest in sex — not caused by a medical condition or medication
- Often wanting to stay at home, rather than going out to socialize or doing new things
- Suicidal thinking or feelings, especially in older men
By just genuinely being there for someone, even bringing them their favorite chocolate, drink, anything can make someone’s day a little easier. Asking to help with chores, taking them somewhere, saying you’re proud of them, letting them know they can vent and not be judged for it, anything to help them with day to day things or lifting their spirits a little can do a lot for someone struggling with depression. It’s also a symptom of many other mental health related issues. It’s something to discuss with a mental health professional, but there are medications that can greatly help, it can also be a battle of finding the right one for you. Not every medicine works for everyone, but once you find the right one, it makes life easier to handle. It’s easier to get the motivation to do things instead of feeling like you’re letting everyone down and making your depression worse.
Here are about 10 types of depression:
- Major Depressive Disorder with symptoms including.:
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of hopelessness and guilt
- Trouble concentrating
- Insomnia or oversleeping
- Loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
- Restlessness or feeling slowed down
- Recurring thoughts of death and suicide
- Weight loss or weight gain
2. Persistent Depressive disorder:
A more long term depression with the same symptoms.
3. Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression):
Severe high and low moods and changes in sleep, energy, thinking, and causes erratic behavior.
4. Seasonal Affective Disorder:
This one mainly has to do with the fall and winter being harsh seasons and it feeling like nothing can get done. Let alone the sun isn’t really out anymore and you don’t get the nice warmth with it that helps with your happy levels.
5. Psychotic Depression:
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Constipation
- Hypochondria
- Insomnia
- Intellectual impairment
- Physical immobility
- Delusions or hallucinations
6. Peripartum (Postpartum) Depression:
This comes from hormone changes which messes with the chemicals in your brain during pregnancy. After birth, it’s an extreme drop in both of those causing you to fall into a depression. For all women, it’s when we need the most support. Let us stay with our babies and help clean, or make food for us, make any daily living easier while we bond with our little one. On top of that, I’m not sure the statistics for it, but I’ve known a few women who felt like horrible mothers because that severe drop makes them want to take themselves away from this world, makes them want to hurt their baby or become severely aggressive. And, it’s not their fault. They just need support and mental health support as well.
7. Premenstual Dysphoric Disorder:
- Depression
- Suicidal ideation or attempts
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Tension and hypersensitivity
- Difficulty concentrating
- Lack of energy
- Extreme appetite changes
- Hypersomnia/Insomnia
- Sense of being overwhelmed or out of control
8. ‘Situational’ Depression:
Some events that can cause it
- Problems at work or school
- Illness
- Death of a loved one
- Moving
- Relationship problems
9. Atypical Depression:
This is a subtype of Major Depression with issues with sleeping, weight, weakness, and more
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Suicidal thoughts
- Oversensitivity to criticism
10. Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder:
DMDD is a fairly recent diagnosis, classified as a type of childhood condition of extreme irritability, anger, and frequent, intense temper outbursts. The symptoms of DMDD go beyond a “bad mood.” DMDD symptoms are severe. Youth who have DMDD experience significant problems at home, at school, and often with peers. They also tend to have high rates of health care service use, hospitalization, and school suspension, and they are more likely to develop other mood disorders. DMDD can be treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy, and sometimes medications.
There are so many types of depression, but the best thing you can do is be honest with a mental health provider so they can point you in the right direction to help you with all of it. Even just talking about daily life can help so much. I hope if you’re struggling, you’ll take that step. :)