My friend seems depressed

Yes... it sounds like she is depressed.  You can try to be there for your friend and to take her out and cheer her up, but I think that maybe it would be best to tell someone.  Maybe you can talk to her parents or talk to her and tell her that maybe it would be a good idea to just talk to someone.  Everyone makes fun of psychologists and all, but I think that they really work.  I mean, if you can just talk to someone, or even take some medicine (some people are really effected by their period), it makes such a difference.  Either way though, it's dangerous to let her continue like this.  Someone where I study commit suicide yesterday.  It's so easy for someone to do... and they won't be around to regret it later, just everyone who loved them.  Please do something to help her. 

Hello.  It must be very hard for you to watch your friend like this.

Depression can be caused by many things, it would be interesting for me to know whether your friend has had some sort of extra pressure or added stress to her life in recent times; depression can also be caused from a past trauma or can even be carried in the genes - this is why it would be important for your friend to first see her GP to be diagnosed.

As a therapist myself the other thing I would ask you to do for your friend is allow her, her down time - sometimes depression can be a process people will naturally go into and come out of - it can be the body and minds way of proctecting itself or even having a break from life.

One question i always ask my clients is "What do you need?"  it is amazing what people will come out with when asked this question - give it a try and ask your friend what she needs.

 Give your friend time and don't push her too much to start with - your gut instinct will tell you if you need to intervene with more authority.

Alison

I have suffered from clinical depression for over 45 yrs. The last 17 years I have been taking an anti-depressent. I see a Doctor on a reg basis and I practice being grateful. My moods are more stabilized now but I still have bouts with the depression. What help me also is I know that these bouts will pass. It took me quite a long time to believe that they would pass but I now have a history that confirms this. Depression will kill you if you do not treat it like the mental illness that it is. Find a good support group, find a good therapist, find a good doctor and get the meds that you need and be careful who you share with - many people who do not understand depression believe that "if you only were more positive or ------- (fill in the blank) or "snap out of it". They have no clue as to how you are feeling -that is why I suggest a good support group. Good Luck!!

I have Depression and the fact that your friend is sleeping so much  seems to fit the "criteria" for it. I realize I am a few months behind in responding to this post, but I think it would be important for your friend to be checked out by a doctor to rule out any illness that may cause her to sleep so long - just to be sure- also important would be to ask if she has been different than usual - is she less social than usual, less optimistic than usual, how has she been sleeping?, does she seem grouchy more often than before?, ... these are significant signs of Depression.

 Hi I suffer from depression too all i want to do is sleep my life away too, but I still wake up at the same time every mourning but it is so hard. When u have had so much bad! bad! luck with people ..........family and friend's sometimes i wonder how can I go on.........I have been there for everybody love,support,money and no one have been there for me all they do is talk about me behind my back now im all alone. Im very,very sad.