Depression is a common illness and needs to be taken seriously. It affects how you feel, the way you think, and the way you act.
Depression is more than just feeling a bit down. Feeling stressed, irritable, sad, angry, hopeless, or empty happens to all of us, sometimes. Depression is getting stuck in those feelings, and it doesn't seem like they're going away. They get in the way of daily functioning, relating to people or thinking clearly.
People find it hard to talk about feeling low or depressed. There is still a stigma attached to mental illness of any kind.
A person may be depressed if they:
- feel sad or down for a long time - weeks or months
- don't care about things they used to enjoy
- sleep a lot or not enough
- lose or gain weight, or have a different appetite for food
- can't concentrate
- feel tired or low in energy
- feel empty or lonely
- have unexplained aches and pains, pounding heart or stomach cramps
- feel guilty, worthless, or hopeless about the future
- are angrier or more hostile than usual
- use drugs and alcohol to cope with their feelings
- harm or hurt themselves on purpose
- talk about suicide or say they want to die.
It is important to find the right help. Depression can be treated. For mild depression, self-help strategies like regular exercise, mindfulness, good sleep, can be helpful. For more severe depression, see your GP who can help you decide about medication, counselling and/or psychological therapy.
Helpful youth websites include: SPARX which is a free online therapy that helps young people learn skills to deal with feeling down, depressed, or stressed and The Lowdown
For further information see attachments and links.