Depression

Depression involves your body, mood, and thoughts.  It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things.  A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing ‘blues’.  It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away.  People with a depressive illness cannot merely “pull themselves together” and get better.  Without treatment, symptoms can last weeks, months, or years.  Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression.

Types of depression
Depressive disorders come in different forms.  There are several different diagnoses for depression, mostly determined by the intensity of the symptoms, the duration and the specific cause of the symptoms.

• Major Depression: Most serious type of depression, in terms of the number of symptoms and severity of symptoms.  You do not need to feel suicidal to have a major depression, and you do not need to have a history of hospitalization either, although both of these factors are present in some people with major depression.  There is no official diagnosis of “moderate depression.”

• Dysthymic Disorder:  This refers to a low to moderate level of depression that persists for at least two years, and often longer.  While the symptoms are not as severe as a major depression, they are more enduring and resistant to treatment.

• Adjustment Disorder, with Depression:  This category describes depression that occurs in reponse to a major life stressor or crisis.

• Bipolar Depression:  This type includes both high and low mood swings, as well as a variety of other significant symptoms not present in other depressions.

Signs and symptoms of depression
Depression varies from person to person, but there are some common signs and symptoms.  Important to remember that these symptoms can be part of life’s normal lows.
Common signs:

• Feeling of helplessness and hopelessness

• Loss of interest in daily activities

• Appetite or weight changes

• Sleep changes

• Irritability or restlessness

• Loss of energy

• Self-loathing

• Concentration problems

• Unexplained aches and pains

If you identify with several of the following signs and symptoms, and they just won’t go away, you may be suffering from depression.
Phone LifeLine on 0861 322 322 or contact our local office (011) 421-0384 -  our  counsellors are there to listen, talk to you,  and understand your concerns whilst assisting you in understanding who you are.