Depression is a feeling of hopelessness and anxiety that can affect every area of life for the one who suffers from it. It can be caused by a traumatic or stressful event, or medications. The Merck Manual Online Medical Library reports that depression is the second most diagnosed mental condition, following anxiety. While depression is more often associated with mental symptoms, it can produce several physical signs and symptoms as well.
Fatigue
Depression can alter sleep patterns. People who are depressed tend to sleep more throughout the day, and often have insomnia at night. Whether they can't sleep because of anxiety and stress, or because they have slept during the day, those who suffer from depression are often fatigued because their sleep patterns are dramatically off. According to Complete Counseling Solutions, depression can also be the result of sleep problems, which can lead to an endless circle of depression and fatigue.
Weight Change
Another physical sign of depression is a change in weight, whether it is weight gain or loss. A study published in the November 2008 issue of the "Journal of Health Psychology" reports that people who are depressed are at a much higher risk of becoming obese than those who are not. On the other hand, the Merck Manual Online Medical Library reports that depression can also lead to a loss of appetite, which can result in weight loss.
Pain
Many people who experience chronic pain, such as arthritis, often become depressed. However, the flip side of that is that those who are depressed can also experience more physical signs of pain. The Mayo Clinic reports that some of the unexplained physical pain symptoms of depression are back pain and headaches. In fact, they also state that depression and pain can operate in the same response pathways in the brain, which explains why anti-depressants are often prescribed to treat chronic pain. A study in the November 30, 2008 issue of "Pain" reports that subjects who were clinically depressed had a lower sensitivity to pain and cold, even more than those subjects who were classified as chronic pain patients.
