Just What Is Depression?
Depression is both common and serious. It is much more than just feeling sad and miserable for a short period of time. Depression is a prolonged feeling of sadness which can last for weeks, months or in many case years.
Depression can strike at any time and can affect literally anyone. It has been reported that depression is 50% more common in women than in men. It is no good trying to tell somebody with depression to “snap out of it” or “pull yourself together” because it is a real illness that needs to be addressed.
Many people do not seek help or do not get properly diagnosed with depression but it is thought that one in ten people suffer from depression at some point in their life.
Even in these days of greater awareness there are still some people who think that depression in a sign of weakness or an excuse not to do things. This could not be further from the truth, depression is a real illness with very real symptoms.
Although there are many, the most common symptoms of depression are:
- No energy.
- No confidence.
- Sadness and crying.
- An inability to accomplish even small tasks – everything seems like an uphill battle!
- You feel as though you are a burden to other people and that there is no point to life. This sometimes leads to thoughts of death and suicide.
- You find it hard to enjoy anything at all – and even simple tasks like eating can be a problem.
- You have no libido.
- You feel guilty.
- Sleep patterns are disturbed. Maybe it’s hard to get to sleep even when you are shattered or you frequently wake up.
- If you recognise some of these symptoms in yourself there are ways in which you can help yourself. Exercise can be a great help as can eating a good balanced diet.
As a genuine depression sufferer, I know that it can be very tempting to turn to alcohol to either try to lift your mood to try to blot everything out. This is really not recommended as alcohol will further aggravate your mood over the longterm and add to your sleep problems. You can then end up with other health problems like liver damage or in my case a blood disorder. Counselling and medication can certainly help as can chatting with people who have been through the same terrifying experience.
