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
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),
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