As a therapist, it can be easy to assume that someone who is feeling sad, has a loss of interest in activities, trouble with sleep, doesn’t have energy or motivation, is suffering from depression. As a matter of fact, millions and millions of people suffer with it. However before we can consider depression as a diagnosis we have to know the person’s medical history. If they haven’t been to a doctor recently it is important to schedule an appointment with their primary care physician. There are several medical conditions that can we can confuse with depression. Thus, we need to be sure that there isn’t something else going on that we don’t know about. There are several conditions that can be confused with depression.
Medical conditions that can be confused with depression
Hypothyroidism
If someone has an under active thyroid they can have signs of depression, as their thyroid isn’t producing enough hormones. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include low energy, fatigue, increase in weight and insomnia. It can also affect your mood.
This is diagnosed with a blood test.
Anemia can be confused with depression
If you have low iron your blood cells can’t carry enough oxygen to your organs. It can lead to feelings of fatigue, low energy and mood changes that can be confused with depression. You can also have other symptoms with it such as shortness of breath, being cold, dizzy or having headaches, which are not a symptom of depression.
This can be diagnosed with a blood test.
Vitamin D deficiency
We need Vitamin D for our bodies to function well. If your vitamin D is low you might feel weak, have fatigue or experience mood changes. There can also be pain with it, which is not a symptom of depression.
We can diagnose this with a blood test. If you are over the age of 65, are obese, or have a darker skin tone, you can be at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency.
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Those with chronic fatigue obviously experience fatigue, but also trouble with sleep and cognitive difficulties. They might struggle to concentrate. These all occur with depression. However with chronic fatigue there is also muscle and joint pain, dizziness and headaches.
This typically impacts women more than men and begins in young or middle adulthood.
Diabetes
If your blood sugar is high or low, it can lead to feelings of fatigue, irritability or changes in mood. According to WebMD there is a link between depression and diabetes. It is unknown if living with a chronic illness causes depression, or if diabetes leads to other things that make depression worse.
Other symptoms seen with diabetes include increase in thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, sores that take a long time to heal, numbness in extremities, and dry mouth. These are not seen with depression.
Fibromyalgia
Depression can actually be a symptom of fibromyalgia. It is a musculoskeletal disorder that makes your brain and spinal cord process pain more intensely. It leads to symptoms of depression such as trouble with sleep, memory and concentration, along with fatigue.
Sleep disorders can be confused with depression
Any type of sleep disorder or sleep apnea can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, irritability and other mood changes that go along with depression.
A sleep study is done to determine if any type of sleep disorder is present.
As you can see, there are many medical conditions that have several of the same symptoms as depression. Thus going to a medical doctor is the first step. Once the possibility of a medical condition has been ruled out, then we can start looking at depression as a cause of the symptoms.
If you are struggling with the symptoms of depression, therapy is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Life is hard. It helps to talk to someone who is not emotionally involved in your situation. Please give me a call at 713-304-6554 and we can come up with a plan to relieve your symptoms.
Take care,
Debbie
