Depression

What is depression?

Depression can happen to anyone and is a common mental health difficulty that many people experience.  Symptoms of depression and their severity differ from one person to another but in general they take the form of feelings of sadness and hopelessness.  Although we all feel ‘down’ or ‘blue’ from time to time, when we have symptoms of depression that are severe, symptoms that won’t go away or symptoms that keep coming back, it can affect our day to day living, personal relationships or work.

What are the symptoms of depression?

Symptoms of depression include physical symptoms, changes in the way we think and changes in our behaviour:

• Sadness, low mood
• Tiredness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Reduced or increased appetite
• Sleep disturbance
• Aches and pains
• Withdrawal from social activities
• Avoidance of
• Loss of motivation or interest in things
• Reliance on substances
• Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
• Lowered self esteem
• Feeling anxious or worried
• Feeling worthless, hopeless, helpless
• Lack of energy or interest in sex

There are also different types of depression such as seasonal affective disorder, bipolar disorder, post-natal depression amongst others.

Psychologists at Psyma are highly experienced in working with depression.  Together they will assist you in understanding the underlying causes of your depression and developing strategies to help you manage your low mood.