This article will help you identify the symptoms of depression that your loved ones, friends or acquaintances may be experiencing. Couples who complain about relationship problems, indifference from one partner, or lack of expected actions from the other often turn to a psychologist, not realizing that depression may be the cause of their problems. Depressed people lose interest in almost everything they used to enjoy, including love, sex and friendship. There are several important points to note. First, depression is not always obvious. She can disguise herself and manifest herself in very different ways, for example, as a lack of interest in her partner. Secondly, if we know how to recognize the symptoms of depression in our family or friends, then we can offer them help, remembering that depression is a painful condition not only for the person himself, but also for those around him. Here are seven symptoms of depression to watch out for:1. Loss of interest in things that used to be enjoyable. Sometimes the loss of pleasure, also known as anhedonia, may not be complete. Your loved one may show interest only in those things that bring bright and quick satisfaction and require a minimum of effort, for example, playing computer games, watching TV or surfing the Internet. At the same time, you may not sincerely understand: “How can this be! He has power for the Internet, but not for me?!” A relationship with another person requires much more effort than watching videos on YouTube. Therefore, withdrawal from relationships may be an early sign of depression. 2. Sleep problems: These may manifest as trouble falling asleep, waking up multiple times during the night, or in the early morning hours. You can find your loved one at four in the morning in another room, for example, in the kitchen, where he is trying to somehow “kill” time. This behavior can also disturb your sleep. At such times, you may feel abandoned, thinking to yourself something like: “He/she not only avoids me during the day, but also leaves me in the middle of the night.” Remember, the most important thing is that you do not take these symptoms personally. Remember that this behavior may be a symptom of depression. 3. Changing eating habits. Body weight changes. For example, a husband may criticize his wife and blame her for eating too much and gaining weight. He doesn't understand that this is a symptom of depression. He interprets her weight gain as a sign that she no longer cares about their sex life and therefore has stopped taking care of herself. 4. Anger and irritability. For a person suffering from depression, every day is a difficult test. Ordinary everyday difficulties become more and more difficult to overcome every day. In such a state, a person can easily become angry and, under circumstances, become aggressive. Sometimes a person can direct aggression towards himself. For example, he may hit himself on the arm or leg, bite himself, pull his hair, hit the wall, etc. This is another possible sign of depression. 5. Negative Thoughts: You may be excited about something, but your loved one brushes it off with a “depressing” statement, such as, “I don’t think it’s worth it!” or “What does this even matter?!” Such negative thoughts and phrases can also be symptoms of depression. And, yes, they can be very unpleasant. A person suffering from depression does not intentionally try to ruin the lives of others, but with their attitude and phrases they can complicate it.6. Suicidal tendencies. Suicidal tendencies can take a passive form, for example, the statement “I don’t care whether I live or die.” Remember that such statements should be taken very seriously. There is a common myth that if a person. is really going to commit suicide, then he does not tell anyone about it. This is not true! Most suicides give clear signals to others before committing suicide. Suicidal thoughts and tendencies are not only the key.