What is depression?
Depression is a common mental disorder characterised by feelings of sadness that last longer than usual. Everyone has times they feel sad or down, but depression is more severe than that and can last for weeks or months.
If you have depression, you may also find you have other mental or physical health problems too, such as anxiety or a reliance on substances like alcohol, nicotine or drugs.
What are the symptoms?
| Psychological symtpoms | Physical symptoms |
|---|---|
| • Continuous low mood or sadness • Feeling hopeless and helpless • Having low self-esteem • Feeling tearful • Feeling guilt-ridden • Feeling irritable and intolerant of others • Having no motivation or interest in things • Finding it difficult to make decisions • Not getting any enjoyment out of life • Feeling anxious or worried • Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself | • Moving or speaking more slowly than usual • Changes in appetite of weight, whether losing interest in food or eating more • Constipation • Unexplained aches and pains • Lack of energy • Low sex drive • Changes to your menstrual cycle • Disturbed sleep — for example, finding it difficult to fall asleep at night or waking up very early in the morning |
Source: NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/clinical-depression/symptoms/
How can you manage the symptoms?
Talk to someone
It might seem like the hardest thing to do but talk to someone about how you are feeling. Choose someone you trust – a friend, a family member, a colleague, your doctor. This is the first step to recovery.
Ask for professional help
If you think you may be depressed, please talk to your doctor as soon as possible. They will be able to help you get treatment for your symptoms.
A doctor may refer you to a psychologist to help you build skills to deal with the stresses you are under. Psychological therapy can also teach you how to reframe negative thoughts.
They may also recommend taking more exercise, using mental health apps, self-help techniques or antidepressants among other things.
The sooner you ask for help, the sooner you can begin your journey to feeling better.
