Early Warning Signs of Depression

If you have a mood disorder, it is important that you come into treatment as early as possible during an episode. This is because the earlier you start treatment, the less damage you are likely to suffer in your personal, family, and occupational life, and the easier it is likely to be to help you recover.

Here are some notes on early warning signs (also known as Relapse signatures) of depression:

With the help of your close relatives/friends in your living environment, please draw up a list of points that are specific to your episodes.
Please share this list with those who are close to you so that, even if you fail to recognize impending relapse, your family and friends will.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF DEPRESSION

Look out for depression signal events:
What are they?

Depression signal events are thoughts, feelings, unusual behaviours, or absence of usual behaviours which occur early during the course of a depressive episode. Signal events can hence alert you and your family to the possibility that a depressive episode is developing.

Signal events vary from patient to patient; so, analyze your past history to identify the signal events that predicted depression in you.
Tell your friends and family what these signal events are; they may recognize the warning signs before you do.
Come into treatment immediately you recognize signal events. The earlier you come into treatment, the easier it will be to help you recover.