Depression affects so many people that it is often called the common cold of mental illness. It is no fashionable affliction. In it is real, insidious, and when in full bloom, debilitating. Yet far too many people are oblivious to their own deep sadness or simply refuse to recognize it. Here are 10 ways to spot depression early and let the healing begin.
1. You are over-confident and fearless. Many people–and especially high achievers–cope with depression by acting in ways opposite to how they feel. (Shrinks call this “escapism.”) Engaging in daredevil pursuits, be it mounting a takeover of a rival company or quitting your job to open a restaurant, makes you feel invincible, when you’re really in the dumps. There is a method to this madness: The major cause of depressions–those not born of biochemical imbalances, of which there are plenty–is feeling out of control or helpless. Achievers loathe that feeling and fight like hell to deny it through action. But that, ultimately, won’t work.
2. You’ve gone from one drink with dinner to three before appetizers. “Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life.” Bernard Shaw’s observation is as true now as it was then..
3. You’re obsessed with achievement in bed. Going on a Hugh-Hefner-like tear may not lift your spirits.
Find out more at http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenberglas/2011/08/17/ten-signs-youre-depressed-but-dont-know-it/
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