Depression symptoms
Depression is not a bad mood you could shake off with willpower. It is an illness that changes energy, sleep, appetite, concentration and the capacity to feel pleasure — and it does so quietly enough that many people live with it for years before naming it.
The core symptoms
Low mood
Sadness or emptiness present most of the day, most days. For some it feels less like pain and more like nothing at all.
Loss of interest (anhedonia)
The things that used to matter stop landing. This, not sadness, is often the most telling sign.
Exhaustion
Tiredness that sleep does not repair. Ordinary tasks — a shower, an email — feel disproportionately heavy.
Sleep changes
Insomnia, waking at 4am unable to return to sleep, or sleeping far more than usual and waking unrefreshed.
Appetite changes
Eating much less with weight loss, or eating much more as a way to feel something.
Poor concentration
Rereading the same paragraph, losing the thread of conversations, unable to decide even small things.
Worthlessness and guilt
A harsh inner voice that reads normal errors as proof of being a fundamentally bad person.
Slowing or agitation
Movement and speech either slow noticeably, or turn restless and unable to settle.
Important: this page is informational and is not a diagnosis. If you have thoughts of suicide, seek help today. In the US, call or text 988 — free and available around the clock.
Track how the weeks actually go
Balanced Mind gives you daily check-ins and a journal that turns a vague "I've been off lately" into something concrete you can bring to a clinician. Free in your browser.
Try it freeFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between sadness and depression?
Sadness has an object and it moves — it comes in waves and lifts when something good happens. Depression is flat and persistent: it lasts at least two weeks, dulls the good things too, and takes energy, sleep, appetite and concentration with it.
Can you have depression without feeling sad?
Yes. In many people the dominant symptom is anhedonia — nothing gives pleasure any more — or exhaustion, emptiness and irritability rather than obvious sadness. This is one of the main reasons depression goes unrecognised, especially in men.
How long do symptoms have to last?
A diagnosis of a depressive episode requires at least two weeks of symptoms present nearly every day, most of the day, with a real impact on functioning. A bad week is not depression; two flat months are worth taking to a clinician.
What if I have thoughts of not wanting to be here?
Treat that as urgent and tell someone today — a doctor, a crisis line, someone you trust. In the US you can call or text 988 at any hour. Those thoughts are a symptom of the illness, and the illness is treatable.