There are several ways that you can tell if you're suffering from depression. One of the strongest symptoms of depression is when you start to retreat from life and feel as though there is nothing to live for. If you find that nothing in your life interests you, and you would rather stay home and do nothing, you may be suffering from depression.
Loss of interest in things that once made you happy is another sign, and you'll want to make an appointment with your doctor. If you've been feeling sad for a long period of time without relief you may want to start keeping track of these feelings. Sometimes after people have experienced a death in the family they'll feel sad for longer than they should. Everyone goes through a time of grief but this should end after a healthy amount of time.
After you've talked to your doctor and he's determined that you are indeed suffering from depression he'll likely prescribe medication for you to help ease the symptoms so that you can lead a more functional life.
You may also be recommended to take some counseling so that you learn skills to cope with the things that are happening in your life. Listen to the advice that your doctor gives you so that you can start to step back into your life. This may mean changing a variety of things including the way you think, the people you spend time with, the food that you eat, and the way you listen to your inner voices.
After you start taking medication you should start to feel an improvement after a couple of weeks. At this time you can start to make wiser choices for your life so that you deal with the depression that you are suffering from.
