Depression

Depression is more than feeling down, unhappy or fed up for a few days. It is when you cannot see the future without feeling completely overwhelmed. Many of us will have periods of feeling low, but depression is when the feelings intensify and last for weeks or months. Depression is an actual condition and is not something that you can ‘snap out of’ or ‘pull yourself together’ from. It is not a sign of weakness, and it is okay to voice your struggle and seek help. Often, talking therapies and medication are most effective together when you are at an immense low point. Medication helps to hear and process things with a little more clarity.

How to tell if you have depression

Depression may result in feelings of listlessness, unhappiness and hopelessness, losing interest in the things you used to enjoy before, and possibly feeling very tearful more often than your ‘normal’. There may be physical symptoms, too, including lack of energy, feeling constantly tired, sleeping excessively or struggling to sleep, increased or decreased appetite and no libido/sex drive. Depression can be experienced through the range of mild, moderate or severe. At the mildest, you may simply feel persistently low in spirit, while severe depression can make you feel suicidal. If you are feeling severe depression, you must seek help sooner rather than later. There is no shame in experiencing a range of feelings, but this can be managed with the appropriate help from your GP and talking therapies.

What is depression?

How to tell if you have depression

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