Demystifying Depression
What Is Depression?
Depression is a diagnosable condition that can leave people feeling severely sad, empty, hopeless and or guilty for prolonged periods of time. Depression goes beyond a normal low mood or a response to loss or bereavement. It can affect all areas of life including family life, work, social lives and physical health and depression can even be a life threatening condition. It is important that people with depression get the support they need and they may also need treatments to help them recover.
Symptoms of Depression
Depression can be a very individual experience due to the range of symptoms experienced.
There are common symptoms that can lead to a diagnosis of depression:
The core symptoms are:
- Low mood
- Fatigue
- Anhedonia (lack of pleasure/enjoyment)
Other symptoms may include:
- Low self- esteem
- Feelings of guilt
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
- Decreased concentration
- Psychomotor retardation (slowing down or hampering of mental or physical activity)
- Psychomotor agitation (a state of restless anxiety that results in repetitive and unintentional movements)
- Sleep increase
- Sleep decrease
- Appetite/weight increase
- Loss of libido
- Sense of worthlessness
- Diurnal variation in mood (low mood at the start of the day, improving as the day progresses)
My Story - Gemma Styles
“It’s just really tiring. I think that is one of the best adjectives that I would use to describe depression. It’s so tiring, it’s so boring. It’s just drudge for so long, and it just sucks so much time out of your life. For me I think partly accepting it and letting it wash over me rather than fighting it quite so hard has helped. I think just getting through it however I can has worked for me, and getting to a point where I recognise when I need outside help”. - Gemma Styles; podcaster, writer and MQ Mental Health Research Ambassador.
To read the rest of Gemma’s story check out Your Mental Health, a new book to demystify mental health: Your Mental Health (enigmawellness.co.uk)
What to do if you see signs of depression in your friends or family
You can't force anyone to seek help for depression if they don't want to. Just being there to reassure them that it's ok to ask for help, and that support is out there is a big help.
As well as emotional support, helping others practically can also help with the load. Looking into support services or taking them to appointments can make a difference.
Remember you cannot be the solution to someone else's problems, but you can help. Here are a few pointers from the mental health charity Mind:
- Be patient. You won't always know the full story, and there may be reasons why they are finding it difficult to ask for help.
- Offer emotional support and reassurance. Let them know you care about them and you'll be there if they change their mind.
- Inform them how to seek help when they're ready (for example, you could show them Mind’s pages on talking to your GP and what might happen at the appointment).
- Look after yourself and make sure you don't become unwell yourself.
See Mind’s pages on helping someone else to seek help for more information.
Support Resources
If you are experiencing symptoms of depression yourself, or are worried about someone who is, then you can contact:
Sane offer support for both people experiencing mental illnesses and also their carers, friends and family.
You can call them every day between 4pm and 10pm on 0300 304 7000.
Young Minds offer help and advice for young people, carers and parents through their helpline and webchat.
You can call their Parents Helpline on 0808 802 5544, Monday - Friday 9:30am - 4:00pm.
For more support for parents, visit: Parents Mental Health Support | Advice for Your Child | YoungMinds
If you are a young person looking for support, visit: Mental Health Support For Young People | YoungMinds
Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem
Visit Mind’s Get Help Now page: https://www.mind.org.uk/need-urgent-help/using-this-tool/
Mind's Infoline is an information and signposting service that can help with information on the following:
- Mental health problems
- Where to get help near you
- Treatment options
- Advocacy services
Contact Infoline on 0300 123 3393
They're open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).
