We may not always immediately notice symptoms of depression in people with whom we live or live. Therefore, it is worth knowing what to pay attention to in order to support a person close to us at the right moment.

Often a sick person sends messages about his condition, saying, for example, “I’m still down”, “I don’t feel like anything”, “it all makes no sense”. It is disturbing when someone who has been active so far ceases to devote himself to his current passions. There is also a noticeable inability to enjoy positive events. The anxiety states emerge without any reason, and they worsen in the face of more difficult challenges and tasks.

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Often a symptom of depression is loss of appetite and rapid weight loss (although it may be the other way around – gluttony and overweight). Problems with sleep also join this. The patient wakes up early and cannot fall asleep, or feels constantly sleepy during the day. A depressed person may also complain of constant headaches and difficulty concentrating.

For people who were mentally fit so far, more complicated problems start to cause trouble, and the previously performed work seems to be beyond comprehension. In people suffering from depression, you can also observe a general slowing down, rapid fatigue, loss of physical and mental strength.

The sick feel much worse in the morning than in the evening. They may also complain of back pain, spine pain, chest pain or muscle pain, although clinical studies show no significant abnormalities. Particular attention should be paid to the irrational sense of remorse or excessive and not justified guilt “it’s all because of me” “I am hopeless” “I am a burden” and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide “without me you would be better” or any suicidal behavior, e.g. collecting drugs.

It is good to associate the occurrence of such symptoms with a long-term stress experienced by a loved one, failure (professional, love), loss of a loved one, divorce, etc. These are often the circumstances that cause the disease, especially in people who are inherently prone to depression. Depression may also be accompanied by a tendency to abuse alcohol (“drinking the problem”) or more frequent use of other stimulants that temporarily improve mood or allow you to forget about troubles.

Activation

Relatives should strive to make the sick person – if it is possible – as active as possible to improve their condition. First of all, you should make every effort to persuade the patient to treatment – it is best to go to the doctor together with him. Then you should remind about the next visits to the specialist and discreetly check whether he is taking regularly prescribed medications.

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The patient should also be reminded that depression can be effectively treated; regularly strengthen his motivation to act. Be very understanding and understanding – notice the slightest sign of improvement. It is worth persuading a depressed person to take simple daily activities, go for walks together, encourage them to do simple household chores, but do not force anything. It must not be done in an atmosphere of compulsion. People should be gently persuaded to take action.

It is worth reminding us how much a sick person means to us. It is because it often feels unnecessary, unnecessary, “disturbing” others, which further aggravates the depression. It is good to make sure that the patient meets with the people whom he / she has trusted as much as possible. It is also not allowed to isolate him from family life, including the problems and troubles of everyday life. Thanks to this, he will not feel rejected – even more “different” than the people around him.

It is worth remembering that you should not do anything by force. The patient must not be forced to “shake off” or “pull himself together”. When the state of depression is extremely severe, you should limit the motivation to any activity until the drugs take full effect (up to a few weeks after starting therapy). During this time, it is recommended to be present rather discreetly, to listen to the patient if he or she wants to talk about their fears and problems. In such a case, an invaluable form of help is patience and understanding, as well as supervising the therapy conducted by a doctor.