To see your family member in pain or suffering is not tolerable for everyone. Especially when someone is facing psychological issues such as depression and anxiety. Most people don’t know about the notion of depression and stress, however, their only physical pain and diseases are the matter of consideration. There are many reasons behind this ignorance and lack of knowledge and observation is the main factor to diagnose depression. To help your family member with depression you need to know about the highways and byways of depression.

What is depression?

Depression is a medical illness or disorder that influences your feelings negatively. The stronger is feeling the more effective would be on your thoughts and actions. It can change the way of living people, but this illness can be treated. Some of the root causes of depression include sad feelings, lack of motivation and positive thoughts, and decreased interest in the activities that were your favourite. Depression has stages from minor to major and it increases in severity when someone does not pay attention to their daily activities and thoughts.

Symptoms of depression

Although depression has variation among the person, some of the signs and symptoms are commonly found in people. For analysing the mental state and problems of your family member you can check by following signs and symptoms. If these symptoms are seen in your family member once in a blue moon then it’s a normal practice of life. However, if the duration of symptoms is getting expanded and the quantity of symptoms is increasing, then you need to take serious action on it.

• Weight and appetite changes

Rapid changes in body weight by more than 5 % either gains or loss within a month are noticeable.

• Irritation and mood swings

Change in behaviour such as feeling restless, violent, and agitated. If you find a fall in the tolerance level and short temperament or taking things on your nerves then it is a pretty symptom of depression.

• Harsh behaviour

You see a family member getting harsh and negative on the little arguments, showing aggression from little deeds such as harsh driving or cutting vegetables with a knife irresponsibly.

• Energy loss

A family member looks tired and drained physically, fatigued or complains about feeling heavy and takes a lot of time in completing easy tasks.

• Pessimism

You can get the idea of pessimism through the thoughts and talks of people, a feeling of hopelessness is found.

• Changes in routine

The changes in eating and sleeping habit of a person give you an idea about their depression.

• Self-blaming

People with depression consider themselves as the reason for problems and miserable situations. In other words, their perception of themselves is not satisfactory for them.

• Pains and aches

Depressive people always complain about pains and aches without any injury or disease. In addition, when you ask them the reason for the pain they answer, I don’t know.

• Lack of concentration

The lack of focus and consideration is another factor which has to be faced by people with depression. They often complain about the incompleteness of their work because of a lack of concentration.

Now, you must be finding the answer to “How to help a family member with depression? Therefore, these are the ways through which you can provide support and help to your family member or friend.

First of all, to cater true knowledge about the symptoms of depression is crucial for you. Moreover, you can treat people with depression with the help of your encouragement. However, for that, you need to identify the signs and warnings of depression. Following are the treatment and remedial measures that you can do to treat the family members who are facing depression.

• To appreciate the patient regarding treatment

Usually, the people who are facing depression cannot recognise that they have any issue like depression or they have some sort of medical illness. The reason behind this is the lack of knowledge regarding symptoms and signs of depression. Due to unawareness they could not get their unusual feelings and consider themselves normal human beings. In such a situation, you can help those people in the following ways.

• You can help people who are in depression by talking to them and expressing that you have noticed the issue and you are concerned about their condition.
• People with depression have no idea about the medical condition of that you need to make them understand the medical consequences of depression and also tell them about the weakness and the flaws that they would have to face in future.
• Another way of helping them through suggesting a professional psychiatrist who can treat them with the medication and sessions.

Identification of severe depression warnings

There are various conditions of depression according to the person to person. Moreover, everyone has to face different symptoms and warnings of depression. To get an idea about depression’s signs and warnings, you need to cater for the following issues.

• Find out the typical symptoms and signs of depression in your family member.
• Find out the languages and behaviour that you observed in your family member when their depression is in the worst condition.
• Find out the languages and behaviour that you observe when the depressed family member is feeling well.
• Find out the circumstances that the severe depression.
• Find out the activities and initiatives that assist you when your family member is in depression.

Warning alert signs of depression

In depression, there are the following warning stages when you have to be alert.

• Suicidal thoughts, for example, a person who is facing depression is talking about suicide when he has some trouble and issues in his life.
• If a person is asking about the placement of harmful things such as knives, weapons, bullets, etc.
• The people, who have mood swings, get emotional about little things, start relating the bad things to their deprivations of life, and consider themselves a victim.
• People in depression do risky things that are injurious to them such as careless driving and using harmful drugs.
• Changing in personal attributes such as, doing illogical things and giving non-reasonable excuses for that.
• Change in daily routine such as sleeping, eating and meeting people.

What are the supports that we can provide ourselves?

Apart from medication and psychiatrist consultation, the family has a great role to cope with patients with depression. Through working on the following tips you can aid the family member in depression to recover.

• Encourage the patients to treatment

If anyone of your relative or family member is facing depression then you need to provoke them to take medicine and follow the prescription of the doctor on daily basis.

• Try to listen to their feelings

Listening skill has more power than speaking and listening to people who are in depression. You can help them through listen to their feelings and thoughts regarding their fears which they are facing in depression. Your act of listening to them can be a healing process for them too.

• Provide a positive impact

When you meet with people who are in depression always try to mark your positive impact on them because people with depression always need motivation. Your positive behaviour will make you an inspirational figure for them and they will enjoy your company. In addition, try not to utter any kind of negative thing for them that may hinder their healing treatment.

• Always help

Always try to help the people who are in depression and help them without showing them that you are helping them you can help them.

• Go to help organisations with them

Always get aware of the sessions and workshops organised by the different organisations and attend these sessions and workshops with the people who are in depression. In addition, make them feel normal and confident in front of gatherings and new people.

• Keep them along

People with depression get over-sensitive and they feel alone many times, therefore never let them alone and keep in touch with them. Try to make them feel blessed and ensure that you care about them.

To conclude, depression is an illness like other diseases, but unfortunately, people don’t consider it seriously. To treat family members or friends with depression, the help of family members is required more while in any other kind of illness you can heal with time without the assistance of others. In my opinion, it is our responsibility to take care of the mental health of our loved ones. With care and support, we can bring them a healthy and happy life.