Reader’s Question

I have been feeling really irritable lately and have often found myself yelling at my flatmates and also have been feeling like my thoughts have been racing through my head a mile a minute. I can’t seem to stay focused on one thing for long and find myself constantly moving around and forgetting things. I haven’t needed much sleep lately and find it doesn’t interfere with my day to day living. Is this normal?

There have been times where all I wanted to do was just crawl under a rock and hide away from everyone for days or weeks at a time. Sometimes I feel so low that I don’t want to do anything, all I want is to sleep and not know anyone.

I have seen a doctor about it and he said I’m suffering from depression.

Is that all it is? Or could it be something more?

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

In reviewing your symptoms, depression is most likely. If you review your past 18 months for example, you are likely to notice a lot of stress and/or responsibility. A high level of stress over a prolonged period of time often produces emotional exhaustion and depression. Our brain chemistry changes during depression — producing problems with concentration, sleep, appetite, motivation, energy level, etc. Your physician has made a proper diagnosis and can provide you with antidepressant medication that would be very helpful. You might also want to review articles related to depression on this website for additional information.