I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it feels like to feel absolutely worthless and they don't want anybody else to feel like that.

For intervention to be possible, it's crucial that we learn to recognize the signs that someone you care about is in distress. While some of the signals are subtle, small changes in their behaviours. Others are more telling.

Signs that someone is potentially struggling with their mental health:

• Avoiding social events
• Lack of appetite or overeating
• No longer enjoying their usual interest and hobbies
• Not taking care of their appearance as they usually would
• Struggling with their sleep
• Withdrawing from social media
• Joking about hurting themselves or even death

Noticing a friend behaving differently may seem frightening, and you may feel nervous to ask them about it, but that conversation could potentially save a life. 

Perhaps your friend is going through relationship problems, has just lost their job or experienced the loss of a loved one. You start to notice their behaviours change and fear that they may be struggling with their mental health.      

You want to ask them about it but you're anxious about how to approach it. We understand how difficult it may seem, but it doesn't need to be. 

Start small, light hearted open ended questions. Feel the room, if they don't seem ready to talk about it, then we may have to back off a little. Keep it casual, try taking them to a shared interest such as a gym session or a video game you both like, this will help them to feel relaxed.

Listen to understand and not just to reply. Listening with intent will show that you care and that you are not just asking for the sake of it. Maybe your mate just needs a good rant to get it out of their system, someone to vent to. Sometimes just listening is all you need to do.

Share your own experiences and allow yourself to be vulnerable, assure your friend that they are not alone. Again, this will help them feel more comfortable about opening up more often.

Check in on your mates regularly, there doesn't need to always be a reason!

If you are somebody you care about is experiencing mental health issues, you may notice that certain events or patterns in behaviours can trigger depressive episodes or other mental health issues. Returning to these feelings after a period of feeling better can be incredibly demoralizing, making it even harder to fight against them.

Environmental cues, emotional distress and social pressure can all play their role. Whether it's something as complex as a substance abuse issue, or something as simple as a song that reminds you of a traumatic time in your life. Hanging around people or places you associate with negative experiences in your life is a common one. Catching yourself or your friend amidst these self destructive patterns and actioning against them is vital to intervening.

Recognizing the things that will potentially set you or a friend off and intervening early can make a powerful difference. Learning to understand your own individual triggers, and how to spot others beginning to spiral, can prevent depressive episodes and other mental health issues from taking their hold.