Early Warning Signs of a Depressive Episode

Depression comes in all forms, from high and low functioning depression, to mild, 
moderate, and severe. You might have situational depression, triggers, or chronic 
depression where it comes out of nowhere. One thing that is the same for everyone is 
that they go through periods where their own depression is at a heightened level, known 
as a depressive episode.

It is important to learn the early warning signs of one of these episodes, so you can fully 
prepare for it.

Your Signs Might Be Different

The first really important thing to understand is that your early warning signs of a 
depressive episode might be completely different from someone else. Everyone’s 
mental illnesses and level of depression are going to be different. So, the following list is 
a good guide, but the best thing you can do is keep a journal of your triggers and 
different things you experience so you can keep track of the common trends.

Complete Hopelessness

This can be something you experience almost constantly, or if you are like many 
people, it is more of a sign of a major depressive episode coming on. Feeling hopeless 
and helpless is something a lot of depression sufferers experience, which can make it 
hard to be motivated to do anything. This outlook on yourself and life in general also 
puts you at a higher risk for self-harm, so you should definitely talk to someone when 
you start feeling like this.

Mood and Anger Issues

Sometimes people who are suddenly in a bad mood or have a lot of anger and irritability 
confuse it with PMS, simple mood swings for other reasons, or even lack of sleep. While 
this can also contribute it, you might find that this is actually one of your early warning 
signs of a depressive episode. Especially when it isn’t related to your cycle or outside 
influences, and seems to come on randomly.

Changes in Sleep or Eating Habits

Do you notice that during times when you are starting to have poor sleep or you lose 
your appetite, you tend to feel mentally worse afterward? This isn’t always a 
consequence of the lack of sleep, but actually the result of a depressive episode. 
Physical changes are very commonly related to mental illnesses like depression and 
anxiety.

Finding Your Triggers

The most important thing you can do is find your triggers, which are whatever symptoms 
or situations that lead to depressive episodes. You might not be able to avoid it, but you 
can at least know when it’s coming and prepare for it.

