If you think you may have depression it is important to be able to determine signs of what could be depression. Different groups of people can express different kinds of signs if they are depressed for example young children will show different signs to adults or teenagers. Some of the different signs that different groups of people can show are;

- Young children – In the younger ages groups it is usually harder to spot the signs of depression because unlike adults they may not display the feelings in a way where they are sad all the time. It is more likely that they will show their distraught feelings through bad behaviour or lack of caring about things they were passionate about. So one of the main factors in spotting the depression is you knowing your children well enough to know what they enjoy doing and spotting when there is a drop in interest, it won’t be like with most children where they just grow out of whatever it is but will be more like they just don’t care any more. As well as this there could be negative feelings about them selves being expressed in ways such as them stating their stupid or saying that nobody likes them. Other signs can be more physical such as weight gain or loss due to an increase or decrease in their appetite some children can lose or gain around 25 pounds in weight through a period of depression. There can also be symptoms that appear to be physical such as stomach pains or head aches but with no physical cause. There may also be signs of manic depression in children it has been discovered this means you should look out for symptoms such as erratic mood swings, long periods of time having hyperactive outbursts and also long drawn out periods of rage or anger for no apparent reason.

- Adults and adolescent children – -1The signs of depression in this age group are more prominent than in the young children but then telling the difference between depression and just having an amount of time feeling down is the main problem. Some of the tell tale signs that that are apparent in depressed people in this age range include;

o A feeling of exhaustion a lot of the time is a sign this could be because you have trouble sleeping at night or wake extremely early and then have trouble getting back to sleep.

o Feeling anxious when around people and wanting to be left alone but then at other times not wanting to be left alone. This could also cause you to feel like you are a burden to others and feeling like nobody likes you.

o Not enjoying activities you previously enjoyed on a regular basis whether they are sports, music or even sex.

o As well as these thoughts and feelings you may also have physical pains that don’t have any physical cause.

These signs are not usually on their own most people with depression will show several signs but this does not mean that they will show all of the possible signs, if you feel like you may have depression you should go and speak to your doctor as they will be able to provide you with the right help to get you through your depression. In some cases it will be that your depression has been triggered by certain traumatic events and being able to talk through them constructively with some one can sometimes reduce the symptoms or stop you feeling depressed at all.