Everybody experiences times of sadness. It's normal to feel sad after a breakup, over the loss of a pet or during a sad movie. However, depression is a serious mental health issue that afflicts many people, causing them to have issues at work, school and home. Treatment for depression includes medication, therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy and lifestyle changes.
Appearance
People who suffer from depression stop caring about their appearance. The guy at work who always wore a crisp suit and tie, shaved every day and wore nice-smelling cologne might wear the same suit four days in a row, stop shaving and not shower for a few days. He's more likely to smell of body odor than cologne. One of the major red flags pointing to depression that friends and family members can pick up on is the lack of personal hygiene.
Eating and Weight
Many people who struggle with depression either have no appetite or drown their sorrows with food. Someone with depression might eat a gallon of ice cream for dinner five nights in a row and start to have a hard time fitting into her clothes. On the other hand, she might not eat but one meal a day and lose a significant amount of weight in a short period of time.
Isolation
Depression usually affects a person's desire to be social and to make and maintain healthy relationships. This disorder can make a person feel exhausted all the time, which makes it difficult to put time into cultivating relationships. Someone with this disorder might feel hopeless and worthless and push the people she cares about away. For instance, a woman with this disorder might stop eating dinner with her husband and kids or stop calling her friends. She might spend all of her free time alone in her bedroom. Her loved ones may feel rejected.
Loss of Pleasure
Someone who's depressed no longer will find pleasure in things that used to make him happy. He'll probably stop doing things he used to do on a regular basis. For example, he might stop going golfing on Sundays, stop watching college football or stop dating. When someone no longer finds happiness in his interests, he might be suffering from major depression.
Irritability
Some people who struggle with depression feel irritable more than they feel sad. They might seem to get upset over little things. For instance, a teen with depression might start arguments with his parents, fight with his peers and yell at his teachers. He might seem angry or upset on a regular basis.
