Check our expert guide to the 7 signs of depression to learn when it's time to get help
1 in 5 of us will get depression at some point in our lives. But how do you know when you're just feeling blue and when it's time to get help?
'Women tend to behave slightly differently when depressed than men,' says Dr Graham Archard, a GP and spokesperson for the Royal College of General Practitioners. 'They tend to sleep more, while men sleep less; eat more and put on weight, while men eat less and lose weight; and they tend to have more feelings of guilt.'
One or more of the following signs could indicate that you're depressed, he says:
■ Disturbed sleep whether that's sleeping all the time or regularly waking up in the early hours and not being able to get back to sleep for no apparent reason.
■ Lack of concentration even when you're not working, so while reading or watching TV.
■ Feeling hopeless and helpless.
■ Changes in appetite, either eating more than usual or not wanting to eat.
■ feeling exhausted a lot of the time, with no energy.
■ Increased irritability with a short temper and a lack of patience.
■ Feeling suicidal and believing that life is not worth living is a sign of severe depression. 'Depression is a potentially serious illness and it needs to be diagnosed and treated properly, just like any other condition,' says Dr Archard. 'If you think you are depressed, or have more than one of these symptoms, get help from your doctor.'
