What is depression?
Depression is a serious and genuine illness. A person with depression has a low mood for more than a couple of weeks and a range of other physical and emotional symptoms, which will vary from person to person. Depression can happen to anyone, although some may be more vulnerable. Depression is treatable. There is help available for you from the NHS as well as self-help steps you can take yourself towards recovery.
Depression can develop gradually and sometimes this means that people do not realise that they are depressed. Sometimes it takes others to point out that there is a problem and give encouragement to seek help. On the other hand, you can become aware of it quite suddenly like a black fog descending on your life.
What does depression feel like?
Feeling unhappy, sad or hopeless for most of the time for 2 weeks or more
AND a range of other symptoms. Most people will experience more than 2 of
the following:
· Disturbed sleep – lying awake at bedtime with your mind churning or waking
up early and worrying
· Disturbed appetite – not being able to face food, maybe feeling nauseous
or having trouble swallowing.
· Loss of interest in sex.
· Tearfulness, sometimes crying without really knowing why and without
feeling any sense of relief.
· Feeling numb and unable to enjoy things as you usually would.
· Feeling cut off and isolated, even when with other people.
· Withdrawing from people, sometimes to the extent of spending large parts
of the day in bed.
· Permanently exhausted no matter how much you sleep – even simple tasks
feel too much effort.
· Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
· Feel restless and agitated and can’t seem to settle to anything.
· Constant negative thoughts about yourself, your life and your future.
· A series of unexplained aches and pains.
· Feelings of hopelessness and meaninglessness – you cannot imagine life
being any better.
· Feelings of guilt and failure which are out of proportion to reality.
· Irritability, even things like a noisy room can be hard to bear.
· Dramatic loss of self-confidence.
· Difficulty coping with things that you used to manage easily.
· Thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life.
For many people, depression goes hand in hand with anxiety and life is
continually overshadowed by fear which may not be linked to anything
specific. Excessive anxiety about small things, for example finding a
parking space, can make everyday life very difficult.
It has been said that a person suffering from depression looks back to the past with regret, looks ahead to the future with dread but finds it very difficult to focus on the present.
Many people find that symptoms are at their worst in the morning but gradually ease if they are able to get going with their day. Usually, as recovery begins a person suffering from depression will find that their symptoms fluctuate with good days and bad days. There is rarely an obvious reason for the bad days and this can be very frustrating.
Depression is quite common, and about 15% of people will have a bout of severe depression at some point in their lives. However, the exact number of people with depression is not known because many people never ask for help and suffer in silence. People with a family history of depression are more likely to experience depression themselves.