Depressed and not even know it?

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Is it possible to be depressed and not even know it?


My bf thinks I'm depressed and so does my mother. Now they are both saying I need to go out more. I don't feel depressed. I just don't feel motivated to go outside and he said "That's depression."


Only time I get out of my home is if I have things to do like getting something from the store or putting money in the bank, when I finally get to work.

ABSOLUTELY.

I was depressed my entire life until I was 28. I was just not aware of the feeling of NOT being depressed.

I am still depressed, but I know it now.

I have to think about that one.

Did you go out more in the past? I mean, it would be a little strange if you went out some or a lot and then suddenly stayed in. Do you feel as happy as always and do you feel pleasure reading up or dong one of your interests or did anything about that change recently?

It would make sense to suspect something like depression if you'd have suddenly changed subtly to a more withdrawn, seemingly bored individual.

But then, could it be that they mistake your ASD traits or just your personal preferences even if they have pretty much always been like that as unusual and symptoms of depression?

I feel some of the symptoms of depression before actually feeling depressed. The most noticable sign for me is wild changes in eating habits. I will either always be hungry or never be hungry.

The not-going-out-if-you-don't-have-to thing would probably be diagnostic of depression in 99.5% of the population... However, with someone with an ASD, I would check for other symptoms or changes. Apathy, flat moods, lack of interest in hobbies, sleeping a lot or too little, negative thoughts, loss of apetite, loss of libido, etc, etc.

As Sora said, if you used to go out more (when you didn't have to) and liked it, that might be a symptom. I don't go out much unless I have to or it's to do something specific, and even then I have to gee myself up. I am a total home bird and love my four walls. I might look like a depressed hermit, but I'm not; I'm a content one!

I remember not being able to distinguish between my own emotions for the most part. I was unaware that the emotions I was feeling had titles - happy, sad... My senior year of high school I heard a song that began with the words: "This depression, is haunting me..." this helped me realize that I was depressed and that this was something I had in common with others. It was honestly a rather profound moment in my life.

I don't think so. Unless it wasn't very bad. At least, in my case, it's all I ever knew.

I'm not sure that you can be depressed and not know it. Maybe if you're very, very young and have no established context or lack the language skills to articulate your feelings, but I think most teenagers and adults have an inherent sense that something's a little off, even if you don't know a specific term for it. I constantly struggle with depressive thoughts, which are often very abstract and difficult to relate to others, but I've never confused feeling happy with wanting to throw myself off a bridge.

There's a big difference between a depressive disorder and feeling down, and IMO, a difference between situational depression and inherent depression. Most of us have been in situations where we feel down, maybe a crap day at work or the death of a friend. It's a different issue when you're going about your day and it's like someone flicked a switch and you're suddenly void of anything but misery, like your own head is attacking you.

You seem busy, but relatively happy, so even if your family thinks you need to seek help, don't do it unless you think you need to. After all, you're the only person who can see in your head and say for certain how you're feeling

Depression isn't really a single emotion, it's an overall pattern of emotions, behaviors, and physical symptoms. With me it's not really a feeling of sadness or distress over anything in particular, sometimes it's just mental exhaustion and lack of pleasure in life.

If you find yourself not going out because you have less energy or because things don't seem as fun as they used to then it might be depression. If it's just that you'd rather stay inside than go out it's probably executive dysfunction rather than depression. It can be a bit of a blurry line for me though because depression and executive dysfunction each seem to reinforce the other over time and finding the root cause is a bit of a chicken and egg problem.

i have been depressed my whole life and i know it. i was aware that im not happy.
i guess this because i see other people who are happy and i know i dont feel so excited about life.
i think the reason for my depression is because im lonely, i have never had anyone to talk to on my level. no one with whom to share my thoughts and feelings

Yes, apparently this just happened to me. I didn't realize until today that I am depressed and have been for a while. I think the clincher today was when my wife told me she's not happy because I don't do anything for her or help here clean the house. Well I'm sorry, but she has always known how I am, she has to tell me if she expects more of me than I would normally do. I do not just think of these things on my own.

i think its VERY important to listen to yourself first.

some gvt appointed therapists tried to convince me i was depressed, i didnt recognize myself in it.
when i told them i hated being in public, with people, they assumed i got filled with fear and panic among people, i protested the fear and panic, cus i dont feel any of that.

finally, i had a chat with two "specialist psychiatrics" who was appointed solely to find out wether or not im depressed, and both of them concluded i wasnt. the second one simply asked me "you feel depressed?" "not really.. " "well, then you're not.. "