What should you know about warning signs of depression?

Depression may affect emotions, thoughts, body and behaviour. Someone may stop enjoying activities, feel hopeless or unusually irritable, withdraw from people, struggle to make decisions or find ordinary tasks exhausting. Feeling anxious can occur alongside depression. Difficulty sleeping, sleeping for much longer, daytime sleepiness and fatigue can also appear.

One difficult day does not establish depression. Concern grows when changes persist, recur, interfere with work or relationships, or feel out of character. Insomnia and other health conditions can overlap with these symptoms, so an assessment is useful rather than trying to label the cause from one sign.

Write down changes in mood, sleep, appetite, energy, concentration and routine, including when they started. Arrange a medical or mental-health appointment and describe how the changes affect daily life. Keep regular meals, gentle activity and contact with a trusted person where possible, but do not treat these steps as a substitute for care.

If you are supporting someone, use calm, direct language and offer practical help with arranging an appointment. Listen without arguing about whether their feelings are justified.

Seek immediate help if someone is thinking about suicide, has made a plan, cannot stay safe, is severely confused, or is hearing or seeing things others do not. Stay with them if it is safe, remove immediate means of harm where possible, and contact local emergency services or an urgent mental-health service.

Ask whether your symptoms fit depression, whether sleep or physical health may be contributing, and what support options are available. Mention any thoughts of self-harm, changes in medicines, alcohol or drug use, and problems with work, study or relationships.