Just as it can be beautiful, life can also be pretty tough. Living in modern times means being observed continuously by people, whether on the street or social media. Thus, it’s a life full of judgment, negativity, as well as constant rush, and a desperate race to achieve success.
When you add unexpected events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, to the equation, you might realize these days it’s harder than ever to keep your mental health intact.
Studies prove that more and more, even young people, nowadays show symptoms of depression. Moreover, more often than ever, people have suicidal thoughts and decide to take their own life. Although governments try to fight hard to provide suicide prevention and help people with depression, very often, the warning signs might be observed only by their loved ones. To learn how to help someone with depression and recognize its symptoms, keep on reading.
Signs That Your Loved One Might Be Struggling With Depression
The symptoms of depression might indeed vary from person to person. However, there are certain warning signs that typically point to this disease that you should be aware of.
At the same time, bear in mind that not every symptom has to indicate an illness or be a sign that a person needs rehab for depression – sometimes, someone might be just feeling temporarily down. It’s always good to give your friend a lot of support and understanding if that’s the case.
Loss of Interest in Daily Activities and Hobbies
People with depression may feel like their daily activities, passions, or hobbies no longer bring them joy in life. Such people often stop to take care of themselves, stay in bed or home the whole day, change their routine, and isolate themselves from their friends.
Tiredness
Trying to recognize somebody’s signs of depression, a factor that will be giving such a person away might be their constant lack of energy and tiredness. Depressed people find even the smallest tasks exhausting and harder to complete.
Sleep Changes
Many people dealing with depression change their sleep cycles – they might be either suffering from insomnia or, on the contrary, constantly oversleeping.
Self-Loathing
Pay attention to how people talk about themselves. Self-deprecating humor might be giving away a big problem with depression. Sometimes depressed people won’t tell you about their suicidal thoughts right away; rather than that, they will be hinting at things you might not even deem important.
Problems With Focusing
Very often, people with depression or considering suicide find it hard to concentrate. Suppose you have a feeling that somebody is behaving more chaotically than usual. If the person also keeps forgetting about specific pieces of information and seems to have a low mood, better try to offer your support just in case. By being attentive and supportive, you will be able to make things at least a bit better.
Unusual Behaviors
Mental health problems might also show in the form of unusual behaviors. You might often observe in your closest ones such changes as an increased need for reckless actions, such as taking up gambling. Moreover, pay attention to whether your friend or a family member has not started consuming alcohol or drugs.
Changes in Appetite
If you’re worried if your loved one is struggling with depression, look into their food habits. Any changes in appetite, such as increased appetite or complete lack thereof, might point to depression. People often respond to problems with their lives with food; if they feel unworthy, they might show it by making their bodies suffer either by not eating or overeating.
Physical Pain
At times, the symptoms of depression might also include unexplained physical aches, such as back pains or headaches.
Conclusion
Contrary to popular belief, depression is not just a temporary state of feeling low. Rather than that, it’s a severe disease that requires adequate treatment. If dealt with inaccurately or entirely overlooked and ignored, the depressive feelings and suicidal thoughts may even lead to a person committing suicide. That’s why it’s always so important to pay careful attention to people around you. If something feels off, talk to others and offer your help.
You can never know for sure what somebody is going through, so come up to people with empathy and patience. Very often, people who commit suicide never show their state in any way; they might even be laughing all the time and then just decide to finish their lives without even saying goodbye. To prevent that, pay attention to others – it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
