How To Act If You Think Your Friend Is Depressed At University

What can I do if I think my friend is depressed?

If you're feeling depressed at university then you're likely to have low self-esteem, have sleeping problems, feel hopeless and often feel tired. Depression affects about 1 in 5 people at some point in their lifetime so if you recognise these symptoms it's quite important that you go to a counsellor and talk it through. Depression can be caused by a whole host of things from a traumatic life event to being stressed over your exams, or just having a poor diet. Depression can also be a genetic thing, where you don't have enough of the chemicals in your brain that naturally make you happy. If you think you're suffering from depression, the first thing to do is get yourself down to a to a university doctor or counsellor and talk your problems through. You can also go onto the Depression Alliance website online where they have a lot of information on what depression is, what causes it and perhaps make yourself feel better. Ways to combat depression would be to change to a healthier diet and go out to get some exercise. It sounds silly, but a problem shared really is a problem halved, so talk to friends and family or go to the university counsellor. The Depression Alliance has got a lot of good literature and self-help on its website, so check that out too. If you think your friend at university is depressed the most important thing to do is to let them know that you understand what they're going through. Don't belittle their problems. Try to get them to go to the university counsellors so they can talk through their problems with a professional. Also, get them to go online to the Depression Alliance website so they can get more information about what's wrong with them.