What is Depression?
Depression affects 10-15% of people at some stage during their lifetime, and is more common in women. Living with a depressive disorder can be very difficult but thankfully there are a number of treatments available and the majority of people can be successfully treated. So let’s take a closer look at what depression actually is.
What is Depression?
Depression is an illness, it can affect a persons life in many ways including losing the enjoyment in leisure activities, personal relationships and performance at work. Some people get so severely depressed that all they want to do is sleep all day so it really can get to a stage of taking over and ruining your life.
Everyone feels ‘depressed’ sometimes but when a person has depression they feel depresses all the time. This is when you know that it is depression and you’re not just having a bad day.
There are many symptoms of depression and not everyone will experience the same symptoms. Take a look through the list of symptoms below to see if you have any of the symptoms listed.
Symptoms
- Irritability
- Feelings of guilt and/or helplessness
- Inability to concentrate or make decisions
- Feelings of anxiety
- Reduced appetite
- Loss of interest in favourite activities
- Loss of interest in personal appearance
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Difficulty getting up in the morning
- Constant tiredness
- Lack of energy
- Changes in weight
- Headaches
Symptoms will develop over a period of time and some may present at the same time.
It is important to know that DEPRESSION IS NOT:
- A sign of weekness
- Just feeling ‘a bit down’
- Something to feel guilty about
- A punishment for being a bad person
Depression is an illness that can affect anyone. It is ultimately caused by an imbalance of special chemical substances in the brain called neurotransmitters. Although the imbalance can be contributed to by personality and life events resulting in stress.
Many people think depression will just go away if the sufferer makes an effort to think positively and enjoy themselves. They do not understand that depression is an illness and as such required treatment. The lack of understanding in many people can in fact make the depressed person even more depressed and isolated. It is due to this lack of understanding that many people with depression are reluctant to talk about it or tell their family and friends about it.
By talking about depression and seeing your doctor to have your depression diagnosed is the first step on the road to recovery.
