Trigger warning: Mention of self-harm and eating disorders

You may have seen your friends or loved ones go from being upbeat and enthusiastic individuals to being isolated, pessimistic and introverted. You may have also noticed some behavioural or characteristic changes that they had not experienced before. What does this mean? Are they depressed? Or are they simply going through a rough patch? Sometimes it may be difficult to assess if their personalities are changing naturally or if something happened to influence that kind of change.

 

Depression can be tricky to identify. Different people show different symptoms. Whatever it may be, when you do notice some specific changes in your friend or family member, it will not hurt to check up on them and have a heart-to-heart conversation with them.

 

With that being said here are some warning signs of depression that you ought to look out for —

 

Pessimistic attitude

Sometimes individuals may express a negative or hopeless outlook on life. Everything might seem pointless to them and their future might appear bleak to them. The way they talk and behave might express a certain kind of ignorance or obliviousness which they might not have expressed before.

 

They might even appear to be asking existential questions which destabilise their identity, the purpose of existence and the purpose of their daily activities. Certain attitude changes or patterns express hopelessness, despair, and a sense of estrangement which they cannot seem to come to terms with or make sense of.

 

This pessimistic attitude and existential outlook can be a warning sign for depression and is something you might want to acknowledge and talk to your friend about.

 

Losing interest

Maybe your friend used to enjoy reading books or was a talented artist. Suddenly, you notice that this friend of yours no longer engages in these activities or when they do try to engage in these activities which once was the source of their happiness, they now feel distracted and are unable to find any solace in.

 

What does this mean?

 

It is quite common for individuals to find interest in new things. But it may be a sign of depression when a person cannot find the same happiness or sense of purpose and identity in activities which they once held close to their heart. Perhaps, they are no longer able to find peace or express themselves through recreational activities like painting, reading, pottery, cooking, gardening and so on.

 

This lack of interest and enthusiasm is a possible sign of depression. It may be worthwhile to try and get your friend back into these activities and also take part in these activities with them to keep them company.

 

Changes in sleep or eating habits 

Some habits can reflect on one’s physical appearance. For instance, you might notice one of your friends to have lost or gained a lot of weight quite suddenly. You might also notice that their face lacks a certain glow which has been replaced by dark circles indicating a lack of sleep. You might also notice that they are absent from a lot of social interactions, are missing out on class or work, or are not answering any phone calls or texts. This can also be because they are sleeping too much. The two extremes of weight loss or weight gain and sleeping too much or too little could be a sign of depression.

 

Such changes can become more problematic if they are not addressed. Whether or not your friend has depression should not entirely be the concern here. Rather their health should be a good enough reason to talk to them about this.

 

Barely getting enough sleep can hamper their cognitive performance while getting too much sleep makes them miss out on important responsibilities consequently, making them fall behind in work or in academics.

 

The changes in eating habits might contribute to developing eating disorders which itself could become its own problem or even fuel their depression.

 

So whatever it may be, it is important to acknowledge and address these issues with your friend or if you are not in a position to do so, let someone close to them know about what you have noticed.

 

Lack of positive feelings

Your friend might also feel shame or guilt or worthlessness for no apparent reason. They might interpret certain actions of others or behaviours of others as something directed towards them and as an expression of how others do not care about them.

 

You might notice that they might talk about death or not wanting to exist in society. They might say things like that they have a desire to not partake in social conventions or live up to social expectations. In extreme cases, they might even vocalise their suicidal ideations. However, they might not always vocalise such thoughts. When you do notice such occurrences, be sure to be aware that these are signs of depression.

 

Fatigue

Your friend who was once a big ball of energy and was the centre of the room, is now always tired and drained. Constantly feeling tired and fatigued is a possible warning sign of depression. Unless they’re suffering from a physical sickness or illness and this is something you should look out for.

 

Restlessness or agitation 

Depression does not have a one-size-fits-all structure. So, you might also want to look out for restlessness or agitation in your friend. They might become panicked or restless in situations where they need to make decisions, are put on the spot, or are confronted with uncomfortable questions or situations. This restlessness or agitation which might come up quite easily without any provocation is a sign of possible depression.

 

What do you do in this situation?

 

It is difficult to say. As there is no predicting what step could have what outcome, you could try removing your friend from that situation or providing another distraction which would take the focus off of them. Whatever you do, it is important that you do not worsen the situation and add to their discomfort. Given the sensitive nature of the entire setting, it is important that you take calculated steps.

 

Self-harm

In extreme cases, your friend might resolve to hurt themselves. It could be anything from taking drugs or smoking to physical abuses which they inflict upon themselves. This situation is rather scary and dreadful. You might notice that your friend starts wearing full sleeves and makes an effort to cover up their body even on summer days. They might be trying to cover up scars.

 

Hurting yourself on purpose is never easy. However, these individuals feel like they have no other option and that the only way to reduce the emotional pain is to transfer that burden to the physical body. Whatever it may be, the situation is quite sensitive and it is very important that you approach this situation with caution. If necessary, if you think that you are not capable or are not suitable to address the situation, it is best to reach out to an organisation or a mental health support group which can give your friend the help that they need.

 

It is best never to ignore the signs and changes. Even if you are unsure that these are signs of depression and have your doubts, striking up a conversation with them to let them know that you care and are there when they need you does not hurt. Sometimes these individuals might hide their pessimism and nihilistic outlook with humour and constantly make self-deprecating jokes. But if this is something that does not comply with their behaviour and personality, then it might be something worth talking about.

 

Depression has no symptoms or signs which scream out and everyone experiences depression differences. But when you do notice any of these things it is important that you do not wait for the situation to worsen or become more obvious. Depression starts with small changes. So, when you see your friend going through a hard time and undergoing so many noticeable changes, you should either ask them to get help or try to help them yourself by offering a shoulder to cry on so that they never feel alone and feel as though they have a support system to rely on.