Many complain of bodily aches and pains, rather than admitting to their true feelings of sadness. The loss of interest and pleasure in this disorder is a reduced capacity to experience pleasure which in its most extreme form is called anhedonia. The resulting lack of motivation can be quite crippling. This is not officially recognized yet for adults, but it is recognized for children and adolescents. Unfortunately, irritable depressed individuals often alienate their loved ones with their cranky mood and constant criticisms.
Most depressed patients experience loss of appetite and weight loss.
The opposite, excessive eating and weight gain, occurs in a minority of depressed patients. Changes in weight can be significant. The opposite, excessive sleeping, occurs in a minority of depressed patients. In the extreme, the person may feel excessively and unreasonably guilty. The depressed person quickly becomes mentally fatigued when asked to read, study, or solve complicated problems.