{"id":24592,"date":"2025-12-09T13:41:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T21:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/?p=24592"},"modified":"2025-12-09T13:59:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T21:59:25","slug":"recognize-the-subtle-signs-of-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/news\/recognize-the-subtle-signs-of-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"Recognize the Subtle Signs of Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article\">\n\t<header class=\"header\">\n\t\t<span class=\"type\"><\/span>\t\t<h1>Recognize the Subtle Signs of Depression<\/h1>\t\t<time>December 9, 2025<\/time>\n\t<\/header>\n\t<div id=\"block_6376b71df0454bf9467428577cd1c712\" class=\"shs-block block-news-article entry-content\">\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>Depression is a complex and personal experience that affects millions, yet it often goes undiscussed. <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/patients-visitors\/find-a-doctor\/allen-heather-1457897142\/\">Heather Allen, PsyD<\/a>, a psychologist at <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/find-a-location\/samaritan-health-clinic-west-devils-lake\/\">Samaritan Health Clinic &#8211; West Devils Lake<\/a>, said depression doesn\u2019t always look the same and can be triggered by many different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cExperiencing sadness, mood changes and irritability in response to tough life experiences is something worth talking about,\u201d Allen said. \u201cOur context plays such a big role. When discussing depression, we must acknowledge systemic disparities and painful current events in the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depression may stem from life changes such as having a baby, divorce, job transitions or retirement. Seasonal shifts can also play a role, and while many associate seasonal affective disorder with winter, Allen notes it isn\u2019t limited to colder months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, depression arises without a clear cause and can show up in many ways, including irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating and persistent physical discomfort. While feeling down or losing interest in favorite activities are common signs, depression often goes deeper and can interfere with daily life if left untreated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can begin at any age, though it\u2019s most commonly seen in late adolescence or early adulthood and tends to affect women more frequently. Some people may not experience symptoms until later in life. Early recognition and treatment can make the condition easier to manage and help prevent it from worsening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If symptoms last more than two weeks, it may be time to talk to a primary care provider. They can rule out physical causes like low iron or thyroid issues and help connect you with support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of the most powerful and courageous choices a person can make is to start sharing their thoughts and feelings by reaching out,\u201d Allen said. \u201cOften, the first place someone has that conversation is with their primary care provider. I\u2019m grateful that in my work I get to be right next door and can even join that visit and start a conversation about options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Treatment may include counseling, medication or both. \u201cEven if there are parts of our situation we can\u2019t completely change today, there are ways to address the symptoms of depression and move you back toward the life you love,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Allen sees both clinical depression and subclinical sadness in her work. \u201cThese symptoms can affect daily activities, functioning at work, home or school and show up in our relationships,\u201d she said. \u201cDepression can make our world feel smaller and lead us away from living in a values-congruent way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBehavioral Activation: doing values-congruent activities that are meaningful or enjoyable can be a powerful tool when feeling low,\u201d she said. \u201cPicking even one small thing each day that used to bring you joy and doing that for a couple of minutes can begin to rewrite the narrative that depression has been writing.\u201d Allen also highlights the importance of lifestyle factors such as sleep and physical activity. \u201cExercise and adequate rest can be key to our mood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She encourages taking meaningful steps toward healing. \u201cTalk to someone, recognize you\u2019re not alone, return to activities that bring you joy, try something new, be physically active as you\u2019re able, rest and practice self-compassion,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m forever in awe of my patients,\u201d Allen said. \u201cThey have such inspiring wisdom and insight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/depression.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn more about depression<\/a>.<em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<aside>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/depressed-man-CO.jpg\" class=\"attachment-cta size-cta wp-post-image\" alt=\"A man sitting in his home resting his head against his hand and looking lost in his thoughts.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/depressed-man-CO.jpg 360w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/depressed-man-CO-300x250.jpg 300w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/depressed-man-CO-120x100.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t<\/aside>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/article>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The symptoms and triggers of depression can vary widely for each of us. Learn to recognize the tell-tale signs and get strategies to stay &#8220;out of the dark.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":31735,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_shs_workflow_notes":"","_shs_exclude_from_navigation":false,"_shs_promote_article_on_blogs":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"news-topics":[293],"news-types":[270],"services":[248,244],"specialty":[46,99],"class_list":["post-24592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","news-topics-wellness","news-types-feature-article","services-mental-behavioral-health","services-integrative-medicine","specialty-mental-health","specialty-integrative-medicine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24592"},{"taxonomy":"news-topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topics?post=24592"},{"taxonomy":"news-types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-types?post=24592"},{"taxonomy":"services","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/services?post=24592"},{"taxonomy":"specialty","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/specialty?post=24592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}