What are the signs of depression?

Feeling sad all the time, of course. But sometimes people don't realise they're depressed and it comes out in other ways. How many of these words fit?:

• Feeling tired
• Feeling very fed up all the time, and can't enjoy anything anymore
• Feeling that everything in your future is going to be bad
• Feeling that you are no good, and losing your confidence
• Having problems sleeping and waking up early
• Getting headaches and tummy pains for no obvious reasons
• Feeling cut off from everyone around you, including family and friends
• Problems with concentrating on your work
• Having difficulty making up your mind
• Feeling sad and crying a lot for no very good reason

Having only one of these feelings, or feeling like this for just a day, probably isn't a serious problem. However, if you have several of these problems over days and weeks, then it may be depression. In that case, you should try to get help.

If thoughts like these are making you feel that it's not worth going on, or that everyone would be happier without you, then you shouldn't wait at all to find help.

What helps depression?
If your friend is depressed.