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I feel…
Depression doesn't show up the same way for everyone. Tap the word that fits closest, and we'll point you somewhere useful.
Most people who arrive at a depression site don't arrive with a diagnosis. They arrive with a feeling, and the feeling is usually one word. Numb. Empty. Foggy. Exhausted. Guilty. Hopeless. The word you'd use to describe how this week has been is often more useful as a starting point than any clinical category. This page is built around that.
If none of the feeling words below feels quite right, the next move depends on which part of depression you're trying to understand. The Types section covers high-functioning depression, depression with anxiety, depression and grief, postpartum, seasonal, and the patterns that don't always go by their formal names. The Symptoms section covers the experiences themselves: anhedonia, brain fog, fatigue, hopelessness. The Treatment section covers what works.
DepressionResource is one of several sites in the Shrink Network. Shrinkopedia is the clinical encyclopedia. PsychiatryRx covers the medications. ShrinkDaily covers daily mental health education. shrinkMD provides the care. We cover the practical layer: what depression actually looks like day-to-day, why it works the way it does, and the practical things that help. The cards that point off-site go to wherever the question fits best.
I feel numb.
When emotion has flattened out.
Go there →I feel exhausted.
When tiredness isn't fixed by sleep.
Go there →I feel hopeless.
When the future has dimmed.
Go there →I feel foggy.
When concentration won't land.
Go there →I feel joyless.
When pleasure has stopped working.
Go there →I feel guilty.
When self-criticism has taken over.
Go there →I feel unmotivated.
When starting anything feels heavy.
Go there →I feel isolated.
When connection has gone quiet.
Go there →I feel like I'm faking it.
When the outside doesn't match the inside.
Go there →I feel angry.
When depression looks like anger.
Go there →I feel suicidal.
If thoughts of suicide are present, this matters most.
Go there →I'm not sure.
The PHQ-9 takes two minutes.
Go there →Not sure
Not sure where to start?
If none of the feeling words above feels exactly right, the Depression Map is a good second-best starting place. A single picture of how thoughts, feelings, body, and behavior connect inside depression.
Open the Depression Map →Every site in the network is independent. Each one is its own resource with its own purpose. The Shrink Network connects them.