How do you know???

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When you are really depressed how do you know??? Is it if you cry everyday all the time??? When you are depressed do you smile at all, like at least one or two times???

depression isn't always as obvious as never smiling, being in tears all the time etc.For me, life just felt grey, days were all the same, christmas was just another day, to do the washing, prepare food etc............i didn't enjoy anything, my partner said i was like Robo-mum not feelings just getting on with stuff.........not wanting to do anything, lack of motivation is a big symptom of depression, but for me that wasn't an issue as i had to get on with things as i had a 3 year old and a 1 year old to look after.............thoughts things never getting better etc are also common, but saying that, everything goes through times like that anyway, so you can't necessarily say its down to depression.............i was my normal self with friends, which is very common with people with depression, they had no idea i was depressed, i would just put on the 'me mask'.........

Im like that sometimes..... the part about not wanting to do anything, and my dad really gets on my case about it. Not like im being lazy but i just dont have it in me to do anything, even fun stuff.

angelwitch thats exactly how i feel. whenever im with friends i feel different and happy but when im alone or with family i just dont want to do anything but stay on the computer. how do i deal with this?

The vast majority of people feel like this occasionally, sometimes for days at a time depending on the circumstances. But with depression, these feelings regularly last for weeks at a time and in many cases for years if no treatment is sought for them.If you're going through this for just a few days at a time and then are genuinely feeling better for a period, you might not actually be depressed in the clinical sense of the word, you may just be going through a particularly difficult stage in your life. If that's so, then this is quite normal - life isn't always a bunch of roses unfortunately. If you have the time/money, taking some time out from your regular habits (working, college, family etc.) and just relaxing, can really give you that short-term boost that gets you through the next few months and of course, if it works, you know then that there are things you can do about it when you start to feel this way. However, I appreciate that this isn't always possible.If your periods of depression are longer than a few days and you find that your 'apparently happy' times are really just a brave face for the sake of friends or family, then you might want to consider speaking to your doctor about it. Attending some sort of support session works for a lot of people. Being able to talk to others who've been through it can be very helpful in getting your life back on track.If that fails, there are of course medical treatments for depression and for some people they do appear to work. I would always consider this to be a last resort though although your doctor is the best person to advise you really.

hi, im new, i saw ur discussion and am wondering the same thing. if u think u have depression what is the next step you should take? who should you tell or should you just not tell anyone, i have been shuting up and dealing with it and putting on the happy face, no one seems to notice. should i stay in the dark?JUST BECAUSE IM SMILING ON THE OUTSIDE DOESN'T MEAN IM SMILING ON THE INSIDE.

Serious depression needs professional treatment. You could start with a doctor or a counsellor, who might then refer you to a specialist.