Depression can feel like more than sadness. For many people it shows up as heavy fatigue, numbness, lower motivation, irritability, or the sense that ordinary tasks have become much harder to start.
Why it can be missed
People often expect depression to look dramatic, when in reality it can look like withdrawal, brain fog, low drive, or emotional flattening.
Bottom line
Depression often affects daily function in subtle, grinding ways before people have words for it.