Lying in Bed All Day, Don’t Want to Go Out, No Motivation for Anything? This May Be Major Depression Symptoms

Summary

According to World Health Organization (WHO) 2023 statistics, approximately 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression [1]. Assessed by severity, depression classification is roughly divided into three types: mild depression, moderate depression, and major depression. Among them, Major Depressive Disorder (Severe) is one of the main causes of disability.

Many people think depression is just being in a bad mood, but in fact, depression affects not only emotions but includes multi-faceted impacts. If not treated promptly, some patients’ symptoms may last months or even years, severely affecting their interpersonal relationships, work ability, and life safety.

This article will help you understand common symptoms of major depression and feasible treatment options, helping you identify early and seek assistance.
 

Major Depression Patients May Experience the Following Symptoms:

1. Significantly Abnormal Appetite and Eating Behavior

A common symptom of major depression patients is “loss of appetite.” When patients are in extremely severe stages, they may completely lose the will to eat or drink. In severe cases, medical intervention may be needed, such as nasogastric tube feeding or intravenous drip injection.

2. Long Periods in Bed, Unwilling to Get Up

Many major depression patients will remain in bed for long periods or refuse to interact with the outside world due to powerlessness and hopelessness. For patients, staying in bed is sometimes a way to escape stress or inner pain, reducing sensory stimulation from the outside world through inactivity to avoid feeling more pain.
 

3. Severely Limited Daily Activities

In some patients, depression may manifest as obvious psychomotor retardation, such as movements becoming extremely slow, even unable to move independently, requiring others’ support or assistance to complete the most basic actions.

When depression reaches this severity, it usually belongs to the category of major depressive episodes. Clinically, it’s sometimes called “depressive stupor” or psychotic depression.

This situation represents the disease course has reached a dangerous level, requiring immediate psychiatric specialist intervention.

4. High Suicide Risk

Major depression is accompanied by intense hopelessness and self-blame. Patients may deeply believe they are worthless and hold beliefs that the future won’t improve. When symptoms slightly ease and physical strength returns, this may actually be the period of highest suicide risk. Family members and caregivers need to be especially vigilant during this stage.

👉 If you’d like to speak with a professional psychiatrist, you can schedule an online mental health consultation here.
 

When These Situations Appear, What Can Family/Friends Do?

1. Immediately Seek Professional Help

If you or loved ones experience major depression symptoms, immediately seek professional help. It’s recommended to first visit mental health outpatient clinics or hospital psychiatry departments for physician evaluation, then arrange hospitalization, psychological counseling, medication treatment, or neuromodulation treatments like rTMS or ECT as appropriate.

2. Clinical Advantages of rTMS

Research indicates rTMS is a safe, non-invasive brain stimulation technology. When combined with medication, patients can improve mood improvement speed within 2-3 weeks. rTMS has few side effects and high acceptance, providing significant help for patients who have used multiple antidepressant medications without effect [2].

3. Loss of Pleasure as Treatment Key

Research shows that loss of pleasure (called anhedonia in English) is not only one of the core symptoms of major depression but also closely related to patients’ daily functioning and quality of life.

When “anhedonia” symptoms appear, patients often experience severe functional and quality of life decline, and these patients often face more difficult recovery processes.

Therefore, restoration of pleasure has been clinically viewed as one of the important goals of treating depression [3].

4. Post-Acute Phase Treatment Focus

After acute phase relief, patients need psychotherapy, life adjustments, and stable support systems, all of which help gradually restore daily functioning, self-worth, and life meaning.

👉 If you’d like to speak with a professional psychiatrist, you can schedule an online mental health consultation here.

Conclusion

If you or your loved ones experience the above situations, pay close attention and seek treatment early. Please remember, seeking help is not a sign of weakness but an important step toward recovery. Today’s medical and psychological resources are quite diverse and mature. Through professional intervention, many patients can effectively improve symptoms and regain hope and motivation in life. We encourage you to face this bravely and welcome discussion with trustworthy medical or psychological professionals to find the most appropriate support and care methods for yourself or loved ones.

Author: Dr. Cheng-Ruey Jou

Treatment Areas:

Sleep disorders, depression, bipolar disorder (manic depression), obsessive-compulsive disorder, elderly populations​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Extended Reading

What Is rTMS? A Non-Medication Option for Depression
Treatment Methods and Principles of Depression
 

References

1. World Health Organization. (2023, March 31). Depression (depressive disorder). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
2. Berlim, M. T., Van den Eynde, F., & Daskalakis, Z. J. (2013). High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation accelerates and enhances the clinical response to antidepressants in major depression: A meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, and sham-controlled trials. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 74(2), e122–e129. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.12r07996​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​