Think Your Friend is Depressed? Look Out for Signs on Social Media

Here is a guide to some telltale signs online that someone may be suffering from a mental illness.

Social media platforms can reveal a lot about a person’s mental health. (Photo: iStock)

Living with mental illness is never easy, especially in India where it is hardly considered as a problem. In a country where almost 7 crore people are mentally ill, there are less than 4,000 doctors to treat them.

Some facts about the problem of mental health in India:

• 20 percent of India’s population will suffer from some form of mental illness by year 2020: WHO
• At least 50 million Indians live with mental illness: NIMHANS
• At least 35 lakh Indians need hospitalisation on account of mental illnesses: NIMHANS

Also Read: World Mental Health Day: Being Mentally Ill in India

In a country with such high proportion of mentally ill people, there is a high possibility that the person sitting next to you is suffering from some form of mental problem – depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorder and so on.

On social media, it is likely that more than five people in your friend circle are facing some sort of mental issue.

Also Read: Alert: India Has Only 4000 Doctors To Treat Mental Health Issues!

So how can you find out who these people are and what can you do to help them? There are some telltale signs online that can reveal many things. Here’s a guide.

A Change In Tonality

Photo: The Quint

"Something that feels different from the person's usual content or the way they're expressing him or herself, that should get your antenna up," Victor Schwartz, psychiatrist and chief medical officer at the Jed Foundation told News.Mic.

Negative Posts

Photo: The Quint

Facebook's Help a Friend in Need guide says that if you see someone posting distressing messages or behaving dramatically differently than usual, it may signal that this person needs help.

Impulsive Behaviors

Photo: The Quint

Facebook's Help a Friend in Need guide also says that when a person acts impulsively and withdraws from daily activities, it should be taken seriously. If you have a gut feeling that something is not right, you should act on it.

Insomnia Posts

Photo: The Quint

According to Facebook's Help a Friend in Need guide, when you come across posts like “I don’t want to get out of bed...ever”; “Leave me alone” or “I can’t do anything right”, do not ignore them.

Dark Instagram Posts

Photo: The Quint

Washington Post reported that Instagram posts reveal a lot about the mental health of a person. Instagram filters used by healthy and depressed also vary.

What You Can Do?

Photo: The Quint

It is a matter of concern if you think that someone you know is facing some sort of mental problem. You can be the helping hand that they need.

Who knows. Your one message or call can save them.

(WIth inputs from News.Mic, Help a Friend in Need, Washington Post )