What is depression, and what are its symptoms?
Nov 17, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Baohua
Introduction
Depression is a common mental disorder characterized by persistent low mood. Typical symptoms include sustained sadness, markedly diminished interest, and severe lack of energy. Patients often remain in a state of sorrow and despair for prolonged periods, experience reduced pleasure, lose hope for life, and find it difficult to feel happy even when encountering activities they previously enjoyed. Some patients may have unexplained episodes of crying and exhibit limited emotional variability, making self-regulation of emotions challenging.
Depression is a common mental disorder characterized by persistent low mood. Typical symptoms include sustained feelings of sadness, markedly diminished interest, severe fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive decline. A detailed breakdown is as follows:
1. Persistent low mood: Patients remain in a state of sadness and despair for prolonged periods, lacking pleasure and hope for life. Even events that were previously enjoyable no longer bring happiness. Some patients may experience unexplained crying spells, with minimal emotional fluctuations and difficulty self-regulating their mood.
2. Markedly diminished interest: Activities and hobbies once enjoyed suddenly lose appeal. Individuals may avoid socializing, recreational activities, or work, and even basic daily tasks such as washing up or eating become burdensome, leading to a monotonous and dull life.
3. Severe lack of energy: Patients often feel physically exhausted, easily fatigued even without physical exertion, with slowed movements and significantly reduced efficiency in daily tasks. Simple household chores or work require considerable effort, and in severe cases, individuals may be unable to get out of bed.
4. Sleep disturbances: Symptoms may include difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, or early morning awakening with inability to fall back asleep. Some patients may instead experience excessive sleep and difficulty waking up. Poor sleep quality further exacerbates both physical and psychological distress.
5. Cognitive decline: Difficulty concentrating, memory impairment, forgetfulness, slowed thinking, and indecisiveness are common. Self-esteem decreases, often accompanied by negative thought patterns such as self-blame and guilt, potentially progressing to self-negation.
If you or someone close to you exhibits several of these symptoms for more than two weeks, it is important to seek professional evaluation and support from a mental health specialist promptly, to prevent worsening symptoms and disruption to daily life. Maintaining regular routines and engaging in moderate physical activity can help alleviate mood symptoms and reduce the duration of negative states.
