How to Recognize Depression in Others

While it may be easy to figure out how you feel, detecting emotions in other people can sometimes be challenging, especially when those people are hiding their emotions. It's important to note that it is possible to tell if someone is depressed and if they need help.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Ask questions. If you think someone is depressed, ask them. Ask them how they're feeling, if they feel like talking or if there is anything bothering them. They may not answer you or answer you truthfully, but they'll know that you are willing to listen. Knowing that you have someone to talk to is a big step in fighting depression.
2. Notice. It's important to keep this in mind as many of the clues letting you know someone is depressed are non-verbal. Body language plays an important role in how we communicate with each other. Depressed people will have bad body posture, avoid eye contact, not care about appearance and hygiene, smile less or have 'forced' smiles and generally have an 'I don't care' attitude about things. See tips for more signals of depression.
3. Listen. Most of the time you'll be able to tell if a person is depressed by listening to what they say. If they start talking about suicide, how hopeless they are feeling, how nobody cares about them, how 'sad' they are, how numb/empty they feel, how it would be better if they weren't here or anything along those lines, take it seriously. Those are symptoms of depression and are usually the way people suffering from depression let others know about it. It's very hard to come out and say 'I'm depressed and need help.' and that's why it's important to notice the signs.
4. Support them. Drive them to doctor's appointments, listen to them when they start to open up, hang out with them (when they need someone but realize that, even though they may want the company, it might be hard for them to ask for it), remind them that you are here for them, and ask about depression (i.e. what it feels like, what are the facts and/or myths, what are the signs/symptoms),

Tips & Warnings

• Don't judge! Everybody's depression is different. Depression ranges from low to moderate to severe and circumstantial, situational or chronic. It's very easy to say, 'Well, I was depressed and got over it by myself and you can too'. Not everybody can overcome depression on their own; a lot, need help.
• Be mindful of myths. One of the hardest parts of battling depression is dealing with the myths surrounding depression. Especially if they are said by family and/or friends. The last thing a person suffering from depression wants is to be a burden to their family and/or friends. When they hear their loved ones using the myths as if they were facts (i.e. It's all in your head) it's hard to ask for help. It makes the depressed person feel guilty and ashamed that they can't overcome depression on their own.
• Do not deny a person suffering from depression help. Even if you don't believe they are depressed or as depressed as they say they are, do not brush it off. As previously mentioned, it's very hard to ask for help, especially nowadays when we are all supposed to be self-sufficient. Get them the help they need or requested. At that point you can decide if you want to continue helping them or not but the most important thing is you listened to them and started the recovery process.
• Common emotions associated with depression are: hopelessness, numbness, sadness, despair, guilt, anger, loneliness, low feeling of self-worth, suicidal sadness (this is different from regular sadness as suicidal thoughts accompany this feeling), persistent feeling of 'who cares?', and apathy.
• Other symptoms included: lack of self-confidence; withdrawal from friends, family and life events (i.e. if you used to go to all school related events and now don't); giving away personal items; suicide 'talk' (i.e. No one would care if I wasn't here); poor memory; poor appetite; lack of concern for personal appearance/hygiene; lack of motivation; poor decision making; and cutting or physically hurting oneself.