45+ Clinical Depression Symptoms
Featuring sources like the Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health, and more!
The problem with searching for clinical depression symptoms online is that different resources will list different things. It is hard to know which list is accurate and which site to trust.
Trusted sources like the Mayo Clinic, ADAA (or the Anxiety and Depression Association of America), Cleveland Clinic, Infirmary Health, and UCLA Health all have lists of clinical depression symptoms on their websites. Other sources, like Help Guide and Harvard Health, may not seem as trustworthy but do give lists of symptoms as well.
These lists do vary with most organizations agreeing on some symptoms but other symptoms are only listed on one website.
For example, only the Mayo Clinic specifically lists “emptiness” as a depressive symptom while only the Cleveland Clinic lists “low” as a symptom. The ADAA notes that people with depression may experience a mood that is often described as “feeling empty” but the Mayo Clinic does not list this particular mood.
For your benefit, I have compiled all of the lists from the organizations listed above and separated the different clinical depression symptoms into three categories: emotions, outward behaviors, and inward behaviors.
Table of Contents
The Emotions Involved
Depression and emotions go hand and hand. Some emotional symptoms of depression are more apparent than others.
The problem with emotions is that different people may describe the same feeling in different ways. That doesn’t necessarily mean one of the descriptions is incorrect, it just means that there is a variety of labels that may describe the same emotion.
This is why when it comes to emotional clinical depression symptoms, different organizations will list similar feelings, but others may add new descriptions to the list.
Sadness - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Cleveland Clinic, Infirmary Health
Tearfulness - Mayo Clinic
Emptiness - Mayo Clinic
Hopelessness - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic
Worthlessness - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health
Guilt - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Infirmary Health
Anxious - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Cleveland Clinic
“Empty” Mood - ADAA, Infirmary Health
Pessimism - ADAA, UCLA Health
Helplessness - ADAA, HelpGuide, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Fatigue - Harvard Health
Low - Cleveland Clinic
Frustrated -Cleveland Clinic
Outward Behavioral Changes
The mind is more similar to a closed door than an open window. It can be very difficult to see the symptoms and understand the thoughts that are going through other people’s heads.
However, if you know what to look for, there are many behaviors that are potential signs of depression and festering mental illnesses.
It is important for parents of teenagers to distinguish between “normal” behaviors and “depressive” behaviors. Unfortunately, normal teenage mood swings caused by hormone changes can seem very similar to behaviors caused by abnormal chemical levels in the brain that affect mood.
On the other hand, sometimes there is more to an angry outburst than just “teenagers being teenagers”. Same thing with irritability and frustration.
Below is a list of visible behaviors that you might be able to see in another person that can point to mental illness such as clinical depression.
Angry outbursts - Mayo Clinic, HelpGuide
Irritability - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic, Infirmary Health
Frustration - Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic
Tiredness - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Harvard Health, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health
Agitation - Mayo Clinic
Restlessness - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Lost of interest in normal activities - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Reduced appetite - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Harvard Health, HelpGuid, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health
Slowed body movements - Mayo Clinic, ADAA
Slowed speaking - Mayo Clinic
Reckless behavior - HelpGuide
Substance abuse - HelpGuide, UCLA Health
Compulsive gambling - HelpGuide
Reckless driving - Help Guide
Difficulty thinking - Cleveland Clinic, Infirmary Health
Difficulty with memory - Cleveland Clinic, Infirmary Health
Inward Behavioral Changes
As I mentioned before, the mind acts like a closed door. At the end of the day, only you truly know yourself.
There are some behaviors that only you can recognize in yourself since they may occur in the dead of night or when no one else is home to observe.
Perhaps your sleep patterns are changing and you are sleeping more than you used to. Mauve your appetite has and you are not as hungry as your peers or coworkers. Or maybe you have suicidal thoughts or often think about death.
These are the types of behaviors and patterns that only you can answer. Hence they are inward behavioral changes.
Insomnia/sleeping too little - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Harvard Health, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Sleeping too much - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Tiredness - Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health
Lack of energy - Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health, Help Guide, UCLA Health
Reduced Appetite - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Harvard Health, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Increased Appetite, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Agitation - Mayo Clinic, HelpGuide
Restlessness - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Slowed thinking - Mayo Clinic. Cleveland Clinic
Trouble concentrating - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Harvard Health, HelpGuide, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Trouble remembering things - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Harvard Health, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic, Infirmary Health
Thoughts of death - Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Suicidal thoughts - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Health, Infirmary Health
Suicide attempts - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, Cleveland Clinic
Trouble making decisions - Mayo Clinic, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic, Infirmary Health
Fixating of past failures Mayo Clinic
Self-blame - Mayo Clinic, HelpGuide, UCLA Health
Unexplained physical aches and pains - Mayo Clinic, ADAA, HelpGuide, Cleveland Clinic
Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment - ADAA, Harvard Health, Cleveland Clinic
Conclusion
As you can see, most organizations can agree on some clinical depression symptoms. Most agree that sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and helplessness are all emotional symptoms that depression can cause.
Many hospitals and health organizations also agree that depression can cause visible irritability, tiredness, and reduced appetite. Many put on their lists that losing interest in activities such as hobbies or intimacy can be a key signal that something is wrong.
If there is someone in your life who exhibits many of these symptoms, please speak out. There are many numbers that you can call or text about mental illnesses. The best thing you can do for someone who has some signs of clinical depression listed above is to talk to this individual, their family, spouse, and other influential people in their life.
