Unusual Signs of Depression

Apart from the normal range of depression symptoms there are some that can be experienced in rare cases.

These are:

- Forgetfulness. This is something your friends or loved ones will be able to pick up really easy. Missed appointments, broken promises, repeating of the same stories, not remembering what you've said or done.

- Extreme irritability. Sudden rage, inadequate anger in response to some innocent actions or words. Although you might be recommended to go through anger management program, it's worth checking if the cause of your inadequate responses lies in depression disorder.

- Physical pain. Sometimes brain feels overloaded with too much mental pain and anxiety and transfers it into physical pain, stomach ache, and recurring headaches. All this often puzzles doctors as they can not find any physical explanation for your discomfort.

- Psychosis. In rare cases you can get something which is called psychotic episode where you can hear voices and suffer from hallucinations. Unfortunately doctors often mix it up with schizophrenia and put you on anti-psychotic medications rather than on antidepressants. As a result they treat the psychosis but not the depression itself which caused it.Obviously, it goes without saying that a diagnosis of depression is better for your state of mind and social acceptance than schizophrenia, so better check twice before agreeing with a diagnosis from A Beautiful Mind.

On the other hand these signs of depression can indicate an onset of a major physical illness, especially if you experience confusion, sleep all day and feel very weak. There are some neurological problems, multiple sclerosis, liver and pancreas disease, cardiovascular illnesses, Parkinson's disease which can also trigger depression.

I would recommend you to document all your symptoms daily in a journal, and when you go to your doctor, be honest with them and tell them exactly how you feel. If you are too anxious and afraid, bring your partner with you and let them help you with additional explanations to make sure you didn't miss anything.

Don't be afraid to seek a second opinion if you disagree with the diagnosis. Listen to your body and you mind which tell you that something wrong, doctors are not gods (although they do have that attitude sometimes), they can make mistakes.

Most of all, please share your experience with us!