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Summary: It’s important to know how to recognize the early signs of depression, even if you think you don’t have depression or know anyone who does.

Key Points:

  • The more we learn about depression, the better we can avoid its negative consequences.
  • Anyone can develop depression at any point during their lives.
  • Depression can cause significant problems in all areas of life including family, work, school, peer and romantic relationships.
  • Long-term, chronic, untreated depression is associated with premature mortality and increased risk of suicidality.

The Facts About Depression

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Volume 5 (DSM-5-TR) defines of depression, officially called major depressive disorder (MDD), as follows:

“Major depressive disorder is a mood disorder characterized by is an overwhelming feeling of sadness, isolation, and despair. To meet the criteria for clinical depression, an individual must experience five or more depressive symptoms for two weeks or longer at a time, and report at least one symptom related to low mood and one symptom related to loss of interest/loss of pleasure in daily activities.”

It’s important to understand that when you experience low or sad mood in combination with other symptoms of depression for two weeks or more, you may meet criteria presence of clinical depression. That’s different than low mood or sadness that fades after a day of two, or recurring low mood that appears and then disappears rapidly.

Data from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2024 NSDUH) shows the following prevalence of depression among adults in the U.S. This is the latest verified population-level data on the prevalence of depression, i.e. major depressive disorder (MDD), among adults in the U.S.

Major Depressive Episode (MDE): Past Year Prevalence, 2024

  • Total: 8.2%
  • By age group
    • 18-25: 15.9%
    • 26-49: 10.0%
    • 50+: 4.4%

Major Depressive Episode (MDE) With Severe Impairment: Past Year Prevalence, 2024

  • Total: 5.6%
  • By age group:
    • 18-25: 11.5%
    • 26-49: 7.0%

Those are the basic facts on depression in the U.S. They reveal that in 2024, 21.4 million adults had a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year, while 14.7 million adults had MDE with severe impairment. To clarify, the NSDUH uses major depressive episode, or MDE, as a proxy metric for people with clinically significant depressive symptoms but without an official diagnosis of MDD. This allows us to understand the real prevalence of depression in the U.S., which may include people both with and without a diagnosis of MDD.

The Symptoms of Depression

When you read over this list of symptoms, the first thing to remember is that to meet criteria for clinical diagnosis, they must be present for at least two weeks or more, not be better explained by another mental health disorder, and not be better explained by alcohol or substance misuse.

In addition, when learning to recognize the early signs of depression, you’re looking for states of mood and behavior that are new, uncharacteristic, and uncommon for you or the person you suspect may have depression.

With that said, watch out for these symptoms of depression:

The Early Signs of Depression

  • Persistent low mood and sadness, when it wasn’t present before
  • Feeling hopeless and pessimistic every day, when you didn’t before
  • Atypical anger and irritability
  • Escalating, new, or recent feelings of guilt
  • Newly developed feelings of worthlessness
  • Increasing disinterest in loved activities
  • Recent withdrawal from family, friends, and typical levels of socializing
  • Losing motivation to work, exercise, spend time with friends
  • Feeling tired all the time
  • Feeling restless
  • Increasing problems with focus and decision-making
  • Increase in common physical maladies – i.e. headaches, stomachaches, aches and pains – that appear without a clear cause and don’t go away with common everyday treatments
  • Starting to sleep too much or too little
  • Suicidal ideation

Let’s take a moment to discuss that last bullet point, suicidal ideation:

Never ignore suicidal ideation of any sort, even if you think it’s harmless and don’t need to take it seriously: the chance you may be wrong and the consequences of misreading the situation are too great. Therefore, if you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the closest emergency room. If you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis, but no one is in imminent danger of harm, please call the National Emergency Hotline at 988 for emergency crisis support 24/7/365.

We include this note and warning because suicidality is a feature of depression, and each instance of suicidality, whether thinking about suicidal ideation, planning suicide, or attempting suicide increases risk of subsequent suicide attempts and premature mortality.

If I Recognize the Early Signs of Depression, What Should I Do?

If you recognize the early signs of depression in yourself of someone you know, based on the information above, here’s what we recommend for you, and think you should consider sharing with them:

  1. Arrange a full psychiatric evaluation with a mental health professional.
  2. If that’s not realistic, ask for a basic depression screening from your family doctor or primary care physician.
  3. Once you have an evaluation, you may or may not receive a diagnosis for depression, i.e. major depressive disorder (MDD), and a referral for care.
  4. If you receive an accurate diagnosis – preferably from a psychiatrist or psychologist with more specialized training than your family or primary care doctor – and a referral for care, we strongly encourage you to use that referral and pursue expert help and support.

It’s crucial to realize that the earlier someone with clinical depression gets the evidence-based support for depression they need, the better the outcome.

Please note that if you’re experiencing mental health symptoms, please consult a real human being with face-to-face, in-person experience diagnosing, treating, and supporting other real humans. If you’re having symptoms for the first time, please resist the impulse – if you have it – to use a chatbot to help you with your mental health.

To understand why, please read this article on our blog:

What’s Going On With Chat GPT and Mental Health?

The long and short of that article is that by every standard metric that define good, effective therapy and distinguishes it from ineffective therapy, chatbots fail to meet basic standards for good therapy.

What Kind of Therapy Works Best for Depression?

The most effective treatment for depression, according to experts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute on Mental Illness (NIMH), the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Anxiety and Depression Centers of America (AADA), is a combination of medication, psychotherapy, education, lifestyle changes, peer/family support, and complementary therapies.

Medication may include:
    • Antidepressants
    • Mood stabilizers
Psychotherapy may include:
Education may include:
    • Workshops on the science of depression and depression treatment
    • Workshops on family dynamics
    • Practical skills sessions for conflict resolution
    • Workshops on self-advocacy and healthy boundary setting
    • Classes on the value of healthy eating
    • Help understanding/implementing regular exercise and activity
Complementary support may include:
  • Expressive therapies like music, dance, visual art, and writing
  • Meditation, yoga, stress management
  • Peer/family support groups

When you recognize the early signs of depression in yourself or someone you know, the best thing to do is seek a professional opinion sooner rather than later. Whereas people with untreated depression can experience significant long-term negative consequences, people who seek and receive treatment early can learn to manage their symptoms, mitigate the negative consequences, and live a full and productive life.

Finding Help: Resources

If you or someone you know needs professional treatment and support for depression, please contact us here at Crownview Psychiatric Institute: we can help. In addition, you can find support through the following online resources:

About Angus Whyte

Angus Whyte has an extensive background in neuroscience, behavioral health, adolescent development, and mindfulness, including lab work in behavioral neurobiology and a decade of writing articles on mental health and mental health treatment. In addition, Angus brings twenty years of experience as a yoga teacher and experiential educator to his work for Crownview. He’s an expert at synthesizing complex concepts into accessible content that helps patients, providers, and families understand the nuances of mental health treatment, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes and quality of life for all stakeholders.