 Depression is a difficult condition to spot in yourself as well as in someone else. It's something that can be easily hidden from others. But luckily, there are still signs you can look for if you think your friend may be depressed. We're here to help. Before we get started, we would like to remind you that this video is for educational purposes and not meant to diagnose or act as medical advice. Here are 8 signs your friend may be depressed. 1. They ignore messages Do you feel like your friend is ghosting you? Texts left on red, calls ignored. If you two usually talk all the time and there is no reason for your friend to be mad at you, he or she may be depressed. This is a commonly known sign of depression known as social isolation. In this time, your friend could be sitting in silence while their depression persists. When people with depression isolate themselves, they could be ruminating, lost in thought, or feeling drained. It's important to continue to reach out to your friend if you believe this is the case. It may not seem like it, but by supporting them and showing you care, you're helping to brighten their day, despite the depression they may be dealing with. 2. They are disinterested in what they used to enjoy. Did you ask your friend to hang out at their favorite restaurant or do their favorite activities, but they just don't seem to care? This is known as apathy, another common sign of depression. Although apathy can appear as moodiness or laziness, it actually does have a scientific basis. There's a portion of our brain that essentially manages our motivation and reward system. The chemical dopamine drives this system, and the less of it you have flowing through the brain, the more apathetic you appear. Although apathy does often get confused with depression, remember that although it is a common symptom, there are factors that separate the two. If you notice this in your friend, try not to judge them or interpret it as a reflection on you. Know that it could very well be a sign of something bigger, depression being the most common. 3. They have emotional outbursts. Many people with depression tend to be more irritable than normal. Unfortunately, this can lead to emotional outbursts and misdirected anger. According to Harvard Health, irritability is a more common depression symptom in men, due to their tendency to bottle up their feelings and push them down. This is not to generalize, though. Women are absolutely not exempt from this, and can still show irritability as a sign of depression, and there are still some depressed men who show no signs of irritability. But according to trends in the data, if you are looking for signs of depression in a male friend particularly, you might want to keep an eye out for this one. 4. They have a significant change in appetite. Appetite changes commonly linked to depression can go both ways. It may be that your friend is continually less hungry or more hungry than usual. The possibilities of both are due to the stress levels that persist in the brain during depression. As the length of stress increases, eating habits normally transition from a loss of appetite to emotional overeating. All this is to say that if you notice a sudden shift in your friend's eating habits, it may also be a sign of depression. 5. Their body language communicates sadness. Body language can pull back the curtains on emotions people may try to hide. Since major prolonged sadness is a common sign of depression that may make your friend appear sad for a long period of time, might be a sign of depression. This type of body language can be hunched shoulders, head down, and an overall appearance that they are weighed down by something. 6. Their energy seems off. Has your friend recently started acting happier than normal, or do they seem quieter than normal? Either one can be a sign of depression. People with depression tend to conceal their emotions in public, scared of showing others how they really feel. They may act happy and energize in ways that seem out of character for them, to convince those around them that nothing is wrong, while in reality, they're feeling anything but happy and chipper on the inside. On the flip side, people with depression may be quieter on the outside to balance the potential rumination and anxiety on the inside. If your friend constantly seems quiet, preoccupied, or lost in thought, they may be suffering from depression. 7. They seem more closed off than normal. Similarly, if you notice something bothering your friend for a long period, but they seem to shy away from talking about it, they may be depressed. It can be difficult, or even embarrassing, to put depression into words. Sometimes, there isn't a single event that caused it, or there might be so much happening inside their head that putting it into words seems tedious. In other instances, talking about their depression may make someone feel uncomfortable, or even more sad. If your friend is struggling to verbalize their prolonged sadness, they may be struggling from depression, and either don't want to talk about it or don't know how. 8. They recently had a major life change. According to an article from depression.org, life changes, positive or negative, can invoke depression. These changes can be job changes, news about moving, divorce, or even goals they have set in their life. If your friend has gone through a life change and appears to be distressed or distraught about it, they could be depressed. Can you now recognize some signs to look out for if your friend may be suffering from depression? Battling depression is a daunting task indeed, but having support around oneself can make it a lot easier. If you know someone who may benefit from online counseling, we actually partnered up with BetterHelp, an affordable online counseling platform that you could utilize. They're constantly striving to improve their services and terms and conditions. The link will be in the description box. Thanks for watching.