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The third Monday in January has become infamous as 'Blue Monday', also known as the most depressing day of the year. The fun of the festive season is in the rear view mirror, the weather is terrible, it gets dark before most of us have even left work, and many of us are feeling the financial strain from Christmas, so it's no wonder so many are feeling down.

While the idea of Blue Monday was reportedly invented by a travel agent in 2004 in an effort to encourage people to book more holidays, the fact that the start of the year can be a hard time for many remains true. But it's not always easy to recognise when you, or someone close to you, is feeling depressed. One consultant psychiatrist who regularly provides important information on mental health on social media has outlined three early warning signs of depression.

Professor Ahmed Hankir, who has more than 426,000 followers on TikTok, shared a video in which he shared what he called three "early warning signs" of depression. He said anyone experiencing one or more of these symptoms may be developing depression and should speak to a medical professional.

Reduced energy and motivation

"Depression can drain all the energy out of your body," Ahmed said. "But it's not only physical exhaustion from minimal to no exertion, it's also emotional and mental exhaustion.

"Depressed persons often don't have the energy and motivation to get out of bed and they can quite easily spend an entire day lying down on their bed doing absolutely nothing."

Loss of interest, pleasure, or joy in life

Ahmed continued: "A depressed person can lose all interest in activities that they once really enjoyed doing, including their favourite hobbies. Depressed persons can experience something called anhedonia.

"You may have come across the term hedonism before, which is the pursuit of pleasure. Anhedonia is a complete absence of pleasure which, for example, you would ordinarily derive from eating your favourite meal or from intimacy with your romantic partner."

Inability to concentrate

Depression can also affect concentration, Ahmed explained. "Depressed persons can have difficulty concentrating," he said. "So much so that they can seem absent or spaced out.

"They can struggle with following a conversation because they are seemingly lost in the vortices of their depressed minds. In fact, the concentration problems in persons with depression can be so severe you might think they may have developed dementia, when in fact they haven't.

"The term for this is pseudo-dementia. Once you treat the underlying depression, usually with a course of anti-depressants, the concentration problems go away."

Concluding, he said: "Just because you may experience one or all of these symptoms, it doesn't necessarily mean that you are developing depression."

What to do if you think you have depression

The first course of action is to speak to your GP. They will be able to determine the best course of action for you. This may involve talking therapy, medication, other treatments, or a combination of these.

There are also a number of charities which can support people dealing with mental health problems. To find a service in your area visit hubofhope.co.uk

If you or anyone else is in danger, call 999 immediately or go to A&E.

Anyone with thoughts of suicide can contact the Samaritans free of charge, 24 hours a day, on 116 123.