Is it normal for a person when depressed to not eat?

Yes. It is a common symptom of depression. If you are losing a lot of weight you should go and speak to your doctor.

It’s completely normal; that doesn’t mean it’s okay. Please try to eat something.

Depression hurts, however shallow or brief it may be. I hope you find your way out of it.

Check temp. Maybe you have the flu. That generates loss-of-appetitie. If you are feeling depressed only.

Is that normal, or not good at all? No appetite is neither normal nor good. If this continues, you should see your doctor.

Yes.

Nothing more to add, agree with above.

I have been staring at this apple for an hour, and I just am not hungry. And before that, I thought about eating a banana, but it just sat there too.

I am not sure what “normal” means in this context. Some people respond to depression with loss of appetite. And some do the opposite and gain huge amounts of weight by eating for comfort. A big change in eating habits is cause for concern, whichever way it goes.

But not eating a certain piece of fruit on a given day is not really proof of something.

Lack of appetite is often a symptom of depression; this does not necessarily mean that your lack of appetite right now means you’re depressed. Lack of appetite can be a symptom of many other things too (including being a symptom of having just ate).

It’s common but it’s not great to let it go on for very long. I remember a friend telling me while her husband was dying that she couldn’t chew. Perhaps there is some food such as soup or ice cream that would go down easily even if you don’t have an appetite? Chocolate pudding worked for my sons when they were recuperating from oral surgery; I know it’s a different situation but something gloppy and smooth may help you get some nourishment.

@Jeruba I’m just not eating. Last night, I made a salad, and I didn’t touch it. It is sitting in the fridge.
@lrk I haven’t eaten.

@shego Why is your first thought depression? Have you been depressed before? Do you have a reason to be depressed? Could you be ill with a virus?

@shego Thank you for the PM. No, your not eating is not normal if you are physically healthy.

I ate very little when I was depressed two summers ago, in fact I felt that if I ate anything I would throw up. I know its hard, but you’ve got to force yourself to eat a little bit of something.

@justn that’s how I feel right now.

Yes, depression can dampen appetite. Depression can also enhance appetite. And many other things can affect appetite. If you are losing too much weight, especially if you have any other symptoms, you might talk to your doctor to establish why you aren’t eating and resolve the problem.

Is there a reason why you think you may be depressed?

When I am depressed the last thing I want to do is eat. In fact, the very thought of eating makes me feel physically sick. This is not a good thing and I am always underweight after a bout of depression. It’s not good obviously but it certainly isn’t uncommon to lose your appetite when depressed just as, like @Darwin said, it isn’t uncommon for depression to enhance your appetite either.

Major changes in eating habits are a big red flag for severe depression.

Yes, it’s common, but it’s different for different people. While you aren’t eating as much, other people with depression may tend to eat more and gain weight instead.

It’s good you’re drinking fluids, keep that up. And as others have said, definitely see your doctor. That kind of severe lack of appetite could become really dangerous.

It’s common. I don’t eat much either. Talk to a doctor.

Well, I have already talked to my therapist, and he said that if I don’t eat anything, today, he’s gonna make me go the hospital. Personally, I don’t want to go. @SpatzieLover I tried to eat some chocolate, but it just made me sick. He said that since the candy bar didn’t stay down that it doesn’t count.

@shego Go out and take a walk, or jog. Maybe you can try to clear your head a bit?

@SpatzieLover I will try that now. But at this moment I can’t save myself from going to the hospital. It sucks :(

@shego I’m sending you healing thoughts again! See PM.

@shego I hate the idea of going to hospital and it is something that I have been threatened with in the depths of my depression. However, sometimes I wonder if it may just be worth going. Maybe it will help. Good luck.

Loss of appetite can be one of the diagnostic criteria for depression, but so can weight gain. Similarly, insomnia may be diagnostic, but so is the urge to sleep more than normatively.

These anomalies are just a couple of reasons to emphasize that professional diagnosis of depression is necessary.

Depression is a terrific weight loss strategy for me!
Seriously, if you aren’t eating, you need to see a doctor.

If you are depressed, this is what you do:

You take some broccoli.

You make dinosaur sounds.

You stomp around.

Now, pretend the broccoli is trees, and nom em all up.

And THATS how you eat your vegetables!

So here I am sitting in the waiting room. It sucks ass. I don’t think I belong here. I don’t have a cold, no broken bones, I just want to leave. My therapist says that I will most likely be hear for 72 hrs. I don’t like that. I’m scared shitless, What are they going to do to me? :(

@shego don’t panic first and foremost, these people know what they are doing and are there to help you, not hurt you.

Eating is probably the only thing you can control at the moment, especially if other things in your life are a bit haywire. This can lead to eating disorders, so they want to help you feel better before you hurt yourself.
It will probably feel like you are getting worse before you feel like you are getting better, just put your trust in these people, who obviously want what is best for you.

Good Luck and breathe (sounds wierd I know but it helps when feeling panicky to take a big deep breathe and release it slowly)

@beatthelastboss your post may help against depression, but it certainly won’t help me eat broccoli. Could I pretend I am a T-Rex eating mountains of pork instead? ;)

@shego yes, weight loss is normal under these circumstances. Please try to eat. Things are bad already, and by not eating you’re just making them worse. I know you don’t feel like cooking right now, and everything seems tasteless and pointless anyway. But think of it as medicine. Would you rather be injected vitamins and proteins or just eat something? Pick something simple, a sandwich or a pizza maybe. You don’t have to cook it. Just go out and get something ready, or order. And try drink some juice. And NO ALCOHOL.

Your soul is already aching, but try not to take it out on your body, because then you’ll have two problems to cope with instead of one. Keep your body as healthy as you can, so you can heal your soul too.

While in the hospital I suspect they may give you medications both to counter your depression and to enhance your appetite. They may investigate to see if there are any physical reasons for you to not want to eat, and it is possible they might put in a feeding tube to “kick start” your digestive processes.

Being in the hospital isn’t the end of the world. It should help you by getting you out of the environment that has kept you depressed, as well as giving the docs a chance to figure out what will help you eat.

It is quite a normal reaction to depression. Is your depression situational (caused by some stressor) or is it clinical (meaning diagnosed by a counselor or persistent with no known identifiable cause).

However, it is not healthy. Not eating will only fuel the depression. So you do need to force yourself to eat the minimal amount of food, and hydrate yourself with water. Otherwise this issue could get out of control.

@shego Let us know how it goes.

They are going to put you on suicide watch if it is a 72 hour stay. That means they’ll be checking in on you often. It is just called “suicide watch” so don’t let that term bother you. They will also likely give you an IV to help since you haven’t been eating. And they will probably have you talk to a hospital psychiatrist as well as doctor to see if they can get an idea of where the depression and lack of appetite are coming from.

It sucks but it isn’t scary. Just relax if you can. Hugs.

So I am now back home, arms hurting like hell, and a massive headache. @sakura I didn’t get your post in time. LOL! I freaked out, and tried to calm myself, and ended up holding my breath.
They made me talk to a lot of people, and gave me an iv. and because I don’t sleep well, they want me to do a “sleep study” so they diagnose me “properly”.
They gave a me a perscription, for both sleeping, and depression.
Really, I never really have thought that I was that depressed. My therapist never knew. I am always a happy go lucky person. I don’t know what happened. But now I have to see my therapist three times a week, and report anything like not eating or sleeping, and any anxiety, or stress, I may be experiencing. Oh yeah, my therapist says thanks. Cause if I never asked the question, who knows how long I would have been like that.

But thank you, so much for caring, to every single one of you. I know that I am loved by many thanks. :)

@shego I’m glad it went well.

I was scared. You could have laughed at me. I was literally a big baby. But it hasn’t even been an hour since I’ve been home, and I’m laughing at myself. :)

@shego I’m so glad to hear you’re home and safe. Thank you for the update!

@shego It is so normal to be scared. Don’t feel bad about that at all. I get scared in those type of situations all the time. I’m glad you feel better now.

I’m glad that they didn’t keep me there for the 72 hrs. I would have gone crazy. I don’t like doing macaronni art. Sorry, i can’t spell right now.

@shego 72hrs would’ve been a long haul. Glad you seemed good enough for them to release you early.

Glad you are back home. Anxiety can make all of us turn into big babies, so no need to apologize. I hope the meds help you. Be aware that sleep problems can also be caused by depression, but they may want to be certain nothing physical is going on, such as sleep apnea.

@Darwin And, insomnia/sleep disorders can cause depression. I suffer from insomnia. Before proper treatment, I thought I was going to end up insane from the lack of proper sleep.

@SpatzieLover I am so glad to be home. I don’t ever want to go back. NEVER! NO! I stand my ground firmly.
@Darwin They are going to be doing a sleep study, to see if there is anything else wrong.

@shego I’m so glad you asked the question and followed up. You can pat yourself on the back for that. Good luck with the rest of the work!

@janbb thanks :)

Perfectly normal, just don’t let it get out of hand. Talk to someone.