Depression

We all go through spells of feeling down, but when you’re depressed you feel persistently sad for weeks or months rather than just a few days. There’s a big difference between feeling blue or a bit sad and being clinically depressed.
Depression affects men and women, young and old. Symptoms range from lasting feelings of sadness and hopelessness to losing interest in the things you used to enjoy and feeling very tearful or anxious. In reality, depression is more akin to a feeling of numbness than a feeling of sadness.
There can be physical symptoms too, such as feeling constantly tired, sleeping badly, having no appetite or sex drive and complaining of various aches and pains.
Life-changing events, such as bereavement, losing your job or even having a baby can bring on depression. People with a family history of depression are more likely to experience depression themselves. But you can also become depressed for no obvious reason.
It is unfortunate that we use the same word for two different things – a low mood and a diagnosable illness. It means people often fail to recognise the symptoms of depression and don’t get treatment for it. At its worst, severe depression can end in suicide.
In reality, everyone can be vulnerable to depression; in Australia one in four women and one in six men will experience an episode of clinical depression during their lifetime.
In the last decade there has been a significant effort to boost public awareness of mood disorders – especially depression – and provide support for those affected by the illness.
The good news is that most people can make a full recovery from depression. Treatment can involve either medicine, counselling or psychotherapy, or a combination of these.
It’s important to seek help from your doctor if you think you may be depressed.