Depression, Its Hidden Signs And How To Help Someone With It

In 2016, about 16.2 million adults in the U.S have been into depression at least once this year. Also, approx. 5% of the global adult population has been suffering from depression. It is a quite common and serious mental disorder that you all must have seen or heard about. Since it does not appear as physical damage to the body, it is hard to identify whether the person is in depression or not. There are some depression symptoms or hidden signs to help you perceive the concept of depression and help you determine if somebody around you is the victim of depression. 

Further, we will discuss how you can help someone having depression around you.

Symptoms Or Hidden Signs Of Depression

People with depression may react to things differently than usual. You will feel a different kind of sorrow in their reactions or, you may see them being extremely happy all the time for no reason. Look for unusual things and try observing if there’s something fishy. 

People With Depression May::

• behave like a pessimist; they may feel deserting in every situation
• talk more about being lonely, guilty, worthless, etc
• become less active in social gatherings and celebrations
• gets upset often and interpret things wrongfully
• have irregular sleep patterns
• not stay active in their routine too
• face concentration issues
• Talk more about giving up on life or suicides

If you witness any of the above signs, try to help them with your presence and moral support.

How To Help Someone With Depression

It feels bad to admit someone close to you is suffering from a serious mental disorder, depression. Fortunately, depression treatments are available, and it is curable. So anyone who is depressed must see a doctor. Meanwhile, follow these tips to help your near or dear to get out of depression.

1) Communicate Well And Regularly

Depression is not something that will go with a beer and some chicken. You will have to talk to your friend regularly to understand what he’s going through.

2) Check For The Root Cause

It is difficult to find a cure till the time you do not know the cause. First of all, try to understand why your friend/family member is in depression. He must have lost someone close, or he had a traumatic accident, or he had seen something that he is unable to forget and not able to stop himself thinking about it. There could be many more reasons just to try to find that particular root cause of it.

3) Be A Good Listener

A person in depression needs to pull out things from their mind. So this time the conversation should be more of your friend talking and you listening.

4) Read About Depression

Your friend is suffering. You must know about the disease to handle situations in a better manner. Myriad information is available on the web, where you can educate yourself about depression.

5) Convince Your Friend To Seek Help 

Your friend may feel now nothing can help him and he has to live life like this only. That’s not true! They can look for medical support and opt for treatments. Also, it must be difficult for him to go alone and talk about things. You must accompany him and tell the doctor everything that you have observed till now.

6) Try To Get Him Into Parties Or Get-Togethers

They may not feel like being social but that’s important. As a friend, you must invite and involve him in celebrations. Even if he denies it, at least he will feel wanted and assured that he still has friends and social life. 

7) Don’t Talk To Him Like A Doctor

You must have studied a lot about depression but advising like ‘eat a dark chocolate before bedtime, you will feel better.’ You are not helping him this way. Just be there with them as a friend, do not try to be a doctor. 

8) Do Not Take Things Lightly

How would you feel if someone comes and says, “it’s alright, it happens with everyone, you are not the only person who’s facing this”? Certainly, you will feel like why did I even tell him everything!

Your depressed friend will feel the same. You shouldn’t sympathise with him. Rather, try to be empathetic.

9) Stay One Call Away For Your Friend 

What if your friend calls you at 3 in the late-night and sounds like giving up on life? You must be available for him to console and in the worst case, to call emergency services. 

10) Be Patient

Helping someone with depression is not easy. It could be frustrating. At times, you may feel like losing patience. You should take frequent breaks from this friend and look for activities that please your mental health because you have to prevent yourself from being into depression too.

Summary

It’s important to identify the symptoms of depression and get the right treatment so things don’t get worse. In the end, we must tell you that coping with a depression is not easy.  Therefore, If you or someone you know is working hard to deal with depression, ask them to seek help. With treatment, it can be managed, and a better quality of life can be restored.