這些跡象表明你可能得了抑鬱症,該去看醫生了

When it's more than just the blues
不僅只是感到悲傷

Feeling down in the dumps every so often is a normal part of life. But when you're gripped by an unrelenting sadness or hopelessness that keeps you from going about your usual routine, it's time to pay attention: it's the hallmark sign of clinical depression, and an estimated 7% of adults will experience it, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Even with this telltale sign in place, it's tough for a depressed person to know if she really has the disease.
生活中時不時的情緒低落是正常的。但當你被無盡的悲傷或絕望籠罩、無法進行正常活動時，你需要當心了：這是臨牀抑鬱症的標誌性跡象，據稱7%的成年人會患臨牀抑鬱症，美國國家心理衛生研究所表示。即使有了這一跡象，抑鬱症患者也很難弄清自己是否患有該疾病。

"Almost all of the symptoms of depression on their own are experienced by everyone at one time or another," explains Jennifer Payne, MD, director of the Women's Mood Disorders Center at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. If you've been dealing with four or more of the following symptoms every day for two weeks, and they've impaired the way you usually function (for example, prevented you from working, being a responsible parent, or seeing friends), it's time to check in with your doctor.
"每個人都曾/會體驗抑鬱症的所有症狀，"醫學博士、巴爾的摩約翰霍普金斯大學女性心境障礙中心的主任珍妮弗·佩恩解釋道。如果你已連續兩週每天都有如下四種或四種以上的症狀，且常用機能或已遭損害（比如，阻礙您工作、成爲稱職的家長或拜訪朋友），那麼您該去看醫生了。

You're eating more (or less) than usual
吃的比往常更多或更少

Depression leaves you withdrawn and checked out, and that can manifest as a loss of appetite. "If your brain is preoccupied with negative thoughts, you may forget to eat or lose interest in cooking or preparing meals," says Yvonne Thomas, PhD, Los Angeles-based psychologist specializing in depression and self-esteem. On the other hand, sometimes the disease kicks in the opposite effect, making you hungry and driving you to overeat. "The mix of emotions that tend to depression-sadness, pessimism about the future, and low self-esteem-can compel you to try to soothe your feelings with food binges," says Thomas.
抑鬱症會讓你變得要死不活，而食慾不振就是跡象之一。"如果你的大腦充斥着消極的想法，那你可能會忘記吃飯，或者對烹飪、做飯失去興趣，"專攻抑鬱症和自尊的洛杉磯心理學家伊馮娜·托馬斯博士說道。另一方面，這種疾病有時候會產生相反的效果，讓你特別餓、驅使你大吃大喝。"趨向抑鬱的情緒混合--悲傷、對未來的悲觀以及自卑--會迫使你大吃大喝以期撫慰心靈。"

You're sleeping too much or too little
睡太多或太少

Some people with depression find themselves snoozing under the covers more; the disengagement and dip in energy make you tired all the time, says Thomas. "Sleeping more is also a way depressed people escape from their sadness; it becomes a refuge," she adds. Others with depression experience restless or interrupted sleep or even insomnia.
有些抑鬱症患者發現自己以抑鬱症爲藉口以獲得更久的睡眠；能量分散和下降會讓你十分疲憊，托馬斯說道。"抑鬱症患者也會通過多睡覺來逃避悲傷，睡覺成了他們的避難所，"她補充道。其他抑鬱症患者會經歷睡不安穩或睡眠中斷，甚至失眠。