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Red Flags for Depression

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, about 19 million Americans suffer from clinical depression yet only one in three pursues medical attention. The first step toward helping yourself or someone you think may be suffering from depression is learning what to look for. There are a number of red flags that could indicate depression.

  1. Negative Feelings

    • According to the National Institute of Mental Health, having consistently negative feelings--sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness or helplessness--is a common indicator of depression. Any behavior that exhibits these feelings, such as discussion of suicide, is certainly a red flag.

    Fatigue

    • A study at the Texas Research Research Institute of Medical Sciences found that early waking and excessive dreaming are the two most common biological indicators of depression. Fatigue and other sleep-related irregularities, such as insomnia, oversleeping, loss of energy and slowed physical movements, may be linked to depression, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Loss of Interest

    • An individual's loss of interest in things he used to enjoy--activities, hobbies, even sex--may be another red flag for depression, according to NIMH

    Eating and Weight Problems

    • Changes in appetite and weight are both indicators of depression. All About Depression notes that when evaluating an individual's symptoms, doctors look for changes in weight of 5 percent or more over a period of one month and whether eating patterns have been abnormal for two weeks or more.

    Decreased Cognitive Awareness

    • Signs of decreased cognitive awareness may be a red flag for depression. Signs may include difficulty concentrating, trouble remembering things and an inability to make simple decisions, according to NIMH.

    Bullying

    • Bullies' targets, and the bullies themselves, may suffer from depression. A 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that 30 percent of high school students who were bullied had experienced depression while 11 percent had thought about committing suicide. On the flip side, 19 percent of the students who bullied others experienced depression, and 8 percent had thought about committing suicide.

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