Each and every person has at least one woman in their life that they love and care about. If you suspect that one in yours is suffering from depression, then there are several signs you should look out for. These will give you a better idea of whether she's battling depression or another mental issue.
Change in Social Activity
When women go through depression they will change the way they deal with social activities. For example, if the woman in your life used to love to go out to the movies or dinner with friends and now she just wants to stay in, she may be depressed. She also might spend a lot more time in her room and much less time socializing with people that she used to spend a lot of time with.
Depressed women tend to become introverted and spend time with themselves instead of other people. Sometimes this change will be gradual, but it also may happen within just a few days. Each woman is different with the way depression affects her.
Lack of Interests
Depressed women often lose interest in things they once loved to do. This could mean someone who stops cooking and instead orders in, but it could also mean someone who stops doing activities or hobbies. Most depressed women will not get joy out of these hobbies any longer, and turn to staying inside instead. You will probably notice that the passion she once has is gone and she doesn't have anything that she loves to do any longer.
Even something like planning and going on a vacation won't offer someone who is depressed very much excitement. Things that most people would anticipate doing or going to aren't going to offer excitement to people who are clinically depressed.
Lack of Affection
Even women who have significant others can feel completely alone when they are depressed. This feeling of being alone and unloved can result in becoming isolated and withdrawing affection. This has a tendency to affect relationships and cause a lot of problems. If your partner has suddenly become lonely and withdrawn, then she very well may be suffering from depression.
Instead of fighting with her or causing tension in the relationship, you might want to approach the topic of therapy. This can bring both of you closer together and can be a great introduction to all of the different treatment options that are available for depression.
Change in Eating Habits and Weight
Depressed women may either gain weight or lose weight depending on how their eating habits change. Some women end up eating a lot more in order to make themselves feel better and avoid dealing with their true depressed feelings. Other women will stop eating all together or decrease the amount that they eat dramatically. Either of these can result in eating disorders, which will only cause depression to get worse.
Change in Sleep
Not being able to get to sleep is a very common symptom that you should look out for. This can mean not being able to go to sleep, but also waking up several times throughout the night. There are also some women that end up sleeping too much and wanting to stay in bed all of the time so that they don't have to be social. Either way, these sleep problems can push any woman deeper into depression and cause her to become even more isolated.
Change in Focus
Do you notice that your loved one seems like she is distracted or like she can't focus on what's right in front of her? Depression is something that controls the thoughts of the person who is suffering from it. If the woman in your life is depressed, then she is likely thinking about sadness instead of things that she needs to get done. This is dangerous for her, especially while driving or doing other things.
These are signs of depression in women that most people can easily identify if they take the time to pay attention to detail. Just remember that all women are different and the one in your life may differ with the symptoms that she displays. If you think she does have depression, then approach the subject in a calm manner and offer getting help as soon as possible.