11 Signs You're Experiencing A 'Depression Attack'

While not an official condition, this wave of depressive-like symptoms can be overwhelming. Therapists share the red flags and how to cope.

Many of us are familiar — perhaps too familiar — with an anxiety attack. It can cause a rapid heartbeat, shakiness, sweating, nervousness and more. You might have experienced one before a job interview or after passing an old flame, for example.

Perhaps lesser known, however, is a “depression attack.” It is what it sounds like, and it’s also quite distressing. Thankfully, therapists are here to explain how to spot one and how to deal.

What Is A Depression Attack?

“‘Depression attack’ is a colloquial term, not a clinical diagnosis found in the DSM-5,” said Comfort Shields, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. (The DSM-5 is the fifth edition of the book that helps clinicians make mental health diagnoses.) “It typically refers to a sudden and intense wave of despair, emotional paralysis or deep exhaustion.”

People with major depressive disorder (MDD) can experience a depression attack, she added, but people without the condition may experience it, too. Unlike MDD, these attacks don’t last two weeks or longer; they’re more brief.