It Is Not Just Sadness That Indicates Depression, There Is Also Irritability

It is not just the permanent and intense sadness, or in other words, the mood tinged with hopelessness and demotivation, that indicates depression.

In fact, a depressed person may not necessarily be sad, but irritated, irritability being the first cousin of sadness.

Yes. Strange as this statement may sound, a depressed person may not show sadness, but irritability, instability or frustration.

Somatic complaints, bad mood, discomfort, physical pain, emotional roller coaster, etc.

All of this can substitute for sadness as a symptom of an emotional problem such as depression.

So, one could say that manifestations of hatred like callousness, irritability, aggressiveness and “bossy” behavior are cries that can emanate from the dark well in which depression drowns us.

Irritability as a diagnostic criterion for depression

According to the criteria of the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and the International Classification of Diseases (CIE-10), a clinical diagnosis of depression may be considered if the person shows signs of irritability. rather than sadness.

That is, a person who is constantly in a bad mood who exhibits persistent anger, a tendency to respond to events with outbursts of anger or insulting others, or an exaggerated sense of frustration with unimportant things , can be coupled with a pathological depressed mood.

In children and adolescents, an irritable or unstable mood may manifest, rather than a sad and demotivated mood.

This is therefore different from what is considered to be the typical pattern of the “spoiled child” who responds irritably to frustration.

However, it must be emphasized that just as sadness in itself is not a sufficient criterion for depression and must come with other connotations to be considered pathological, so is irritability.

Concretely, to make a diagnosis of depression according to the classification systems cited, these two conditions and a certain intensity are necessary, but not sufficient. Yet it is so; it is not enough to be sad or angry to be depressed.

Sadness and irritability are emotional states that are unfairly treated

Sadness and irritability in themselves are healthy emotional states because they are trying to tell us that there is something that is bothering us or harming us.

They only become pathological when they distort our life and considerably deteriorate our personal, social and professional spheres for a long time.

Losing the pedals easily, making unpleasant comments, being not very tolerant, showing impatience, feeling nervous, being agitated, having unusual reactions, starting to move away from certain people because you are unpleasant, etc.

All of this shows that something is wrong with our life and that we need to take certain measures.

Thus, the anger or irritability that manifests itself when or is suffering from depression is a way for us to externalize what we feel and what we do not express.

It is said that the depressed person has the feeling of being oppressed, and of wearing a sling around his neck that weighs tons.

As a result, she feels like she is drowning, her vitality fades, and she feels that this scarf is preventing her from moving forward, which ruins her life and upsets her mood.

This accounts for the instability and difficulty these people have to live on a daily basis.

So, because of this dark scarf which does not allow us to gather our strength, all the depressed person can do is eat something and sleep; such is the weight of anguish, which translates into a suffocating reality of sadness or irritation depending on the person and, of course, the moment.