Just Down… Or Depressed?

Ask yourself these 10 questions to gauge if your loved one needs medical help.

Although only a qualified medical practitioner can make a clinical diagnosis, the following questions will help you determine if your partner's condition is serious. If you respond yes to three or more of these questions, you and your partner should consider speaking with a trained counselor or therapist.
 

1. Is your partner always sad? Has he lost interest in activities that used to give him pleasure?
    
2. Is he very anxious or agitated? Is he restless or fidgety? Is he unable to sleep at night or is he sleeping too much?
    
3. Has he developed an eating disorder, severely overeating or undereating?
    
4. Is he smoking too much, using drugs, or getting drunk?
    
5. Is he spending too much money?
    
6. Does he have a loss of sexual appetite?
    
7. Is he emotionally withdrawn or unable to concentrate or make decisions?
    
8. Has he developed a negative view of the world? Does he feel helpless to create change?
    
9. Is he physically, sexually, or verbally abusive to you or others?
    
10. Does he talk of killing himself? (If your partner is abusive or self-destructive, get help immediately. Call 911 or go to a hospital emergency room, a local mental health office, or a battered woman's shelter for immediate support.)