We Rarely Talk About This Sign Of Depression

Often people associate depression with sadness, crying, loneliness, or a combination of all of the things or none of those things. However, one emotion is often overlooked as a symptom of depression: anger.

Sure we might briefly fly off the rails when we’re stuck in traffic, but sitting and stewing in feelings of constant rage could be a sign of depression.

“It doesn’t always look like depression, but it is,” Marianna Strongin, a licensed clinical psychologist in New York, told HuffPost.

Although patients might come in looking for help to manage one aspect of their mental health, they often find that depression is at the root.

“A patient will say they’ve noticed, or their friends have noticed, that they’re lashing out more,” Strongin said. “Although they come in to address their anger, when we start digging, the anger is usually a symptom of depression.”

“Sadness is much harder to experience,” Strongin added. “Sadness is a phase, and anger is a verb― it moves through you. So sometimes [people with depression] distract themselves to not feel sad, so instead, anger gets triggered.”

Although The National Institute of Mental Health estimates some 16 million American adults living with depression are women ages 18 to 25, Sherry Benton, a psychologist in Florida says it’s typically men who shows symptoms rooted in anger.

“Their natural inclination tends to lean toward isolation,” she said. “With this comes the need to withdraw from relationships with others, even ones that are healthy. Anger is a seamless secondary symptom to this, since lashing out is generally an effective method of pushing people away.”

The first step in reducing anger and helping your depression is to ask for help. “With just anger, it’s never just anger,” Strongin explained. “It’s always symbolic of something not working.”