Not all people with depression will show all symptoms or have them to the same degree. If a person has four or more symptoms, for more than two weeks, consult a doctor or mental health professional right away. While the symptoms specified for all groups below generally characterize major depression, there are other disorders with similar characteristics including: bipolar illness, anxiety disorder, or attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity.


In Adults
•Persistent sad or "empty" mood.
•Feeling hopeless, helpless, worthless, pessimistic and/or guilty.
•Substance abuse.
•Fatigue or loss of interest in ordinary activities, including sex.
•Disturbances in eating and sleeping patterns.
•Irritability, increased crying, anxiety or panic attacks.
•Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions.
•Thoughts of suicide; suicide plans or attempts.
•Persistent physical symptoms or pains that do not respond to treatment.


In Infants
It’s important to understand what constitutes normal development in infants, children and adolescents vs. what may be signs of a depressive illness.
•Unresponsive when talked to or touched, never smile or cry, or may cry often being difficult to soothe.
•Failure to gain weight (not due to other medical illness).
•Unmotivated in play.
•Restless, oversensitive to noise or touch.
•Problems with eating or sleeping.
•Digestive disorders (constipation/diarrhea).


In Children
In children, depressive illnesses/anxiety may be disguised as, or presented as, school phobia or school avoidance, social phobia or social avoidance, excessive separation anxiety, running away, obsessions, compulsions, or everyday rituals, such as having to go to bed at the exact time each night for fear something bad may happen. Chronic illnesses may be present also since depression weakens the immune system. Other signs include persistent unhappiness, negativity, complaining, chronic boredom, no initiative.
•Uncontrollable anger with aggressive or destructive behavior, possibly hitting themselves or others, kicking or self-biting or head banging.
•Harming animals.
•Continual disobedience.
•Easily frustrated, frequent crying, low self-esteem, overly sensitive.
•Inability to pay attention, remember, or make decisions, easily distracted, mind goes blank.
•Energy fluctuations from lethargic to frenzied activity, with periods of normalcy.
•Eating or sleeping problems.
•Bedwetting, constipation, diarrhea.
•Impulsiveness, accident-prone.
•Chronic worry & fear, clingy, panic attacks.
•Extreme self-consciousness.
•Slowed speech & body movements.
•Disorganized speech - hard to follow when telling you a story, etc.
•Physical symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, stomachaches, arms or legs ache, nail-biting, pulling out hair or eyelashes. (ruling out other medical causes)
•Suicidal talk or attempts.


In Adolescents
Depressive illnesses/anxiety may be disguised as, or presented as, eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, drug/alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, risk-taking behavior such as reckless driving, unprotected sex, carelessness when walking across busy streets, on bridges or cliffs. There may be social isolation, running away, constant disobedience, getting into trouble with the law, physical or sexual assaults against others, obnoxious behavior, failure to care about appearance/hygiene, no sense of self or of values/morals, difficulty cultivating relationships, inability to establish/stick with occupational/educational goals.
•Physical symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, stomachaches, neck aches, arms or legs hurt due to muscle tension, digestive disorders. (ruling out other medical causes)
•Persistent unhappiness, negativity, irritability.
•Uncontrollable anger or outbursts of rage.
•Overly self-critical, unwarranted guilt, low self-esteem.
•Inability to concentrate, think straight, remem

www.samaritans.org 1850 60 90 90 OR 08457 90 90 90

www.nosp.ie National Office Of Suicide Prevention

www.aware.ie Aware 1890 303 302

CONSOLE 24hr Helpline: 1800 201 890

www.pieta.ie <<<< Based in Lucan... very good project

www.pleasetalk.ie

Teen-Line Ireland – 1800 833 634 www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=37...

Or talk to people about your problems, a problem shared is a problem halved!

www.letsomeoneknow.ie

(This information is based on the leaflet “Concerned
about Suicide”, originally produced by the HSE
Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention, Ireland and
the Suicide Awareness Coordinators for Northern
Ireland. Re-printed as part of the all-island
cooperation in implementing the suicide prevention
strategies Reach Out [Republic of Ireland] and
Protect Life - A Shared Vision [Northern Ireland].)

The Warning Signs
Most people who feel suicidal don’t really want to
die, they just want an end to their pain. These are
some of the signs which may indicate that someone
is thinking of taking their life:
• A suicide attempt or act of self harm
• Expressing suicidal thoughts
• Preoccupation with death
• Depression
• Becoming isolated
• Alcohol abuse
• Drug abuse
• Sudden changes in mood or behaviour
• Making ‘final’ arrangements, e.g. giving away
possessions (such as books, CDs, DVDs)

Associated Risk Factors
• Access to a method of suicide, e.g.
medication, firearms
• Loss of someone close (such as a friend or
family member)
• Relationship break-up
• Impulsiveness, recklessness and risktaking
behaviour
• Alcohol / drug abuse

How to Respond
If you are concerned about someone you can follow
these three steps:
Show You Care
Offer support and let them know you care.
Say something like:
• ‘I’m worried about you and I want to help’
• ‘What’s up? I’m very worried about you’
• ‘Whatever’s bothering you we will get through
this together’

Ask the Question
Don’t be afraid to discuss suicide – asking about it
won’t put the idea in people’s heads:
• ‘Do you feel like harming yourself?’
• ‘Do you feel like ending your life?’
• ‘Are you so down that you just want to end
it all?’

Call For Help
Encourage them to look for help:
‘Let’s talk to someone who can help’
‘I will stay with you until you get help’
‘You’re not alone and there are people who
can help you out of this situation’
If you, or someone you know, is in crisis now and
need someone to talk to:
• Contact Samaritans on 1850 609090 Republic
of Ireland
• Contact your local doctor or GP out-of-hours
service; see ‘Doctors - General Practitioners’
in the Golden Pages, Republic of Ireland
• Go to, or contact, the Accident and Emergency
Department of your nearest general hospital

However, people are all different so it can be a case that no one behaves the same way as the last person did... all we can do is be vigilant.