Depression

“How can I describe my depression?, like living in a funnel that was sucking me further down and down”

What is depression?

It comes from the Latin deprimere, meaning to “press down”, it affects our motivation, our emotions, our thinking, our behaviour, our physiology and our relationships.

We may talk about being under a black cloud or in a dark hole. It is very common, 1 in 4 of us will have a depressive episode at some point in our lifetimes.

What are the symptoms?

• Low mood
• Marked loss of pleasure
• Significant change in appetite and a loss of at least 5% of normal body weight
• Sleep disturbance
• Agitation or feelings of being slowed down
• Loss of energy or feeling fatigued virtually every day
• Feelings of worthlessness, low self-esteem
• Tendency to feel guilty
• Loss of the ability to concentrate
• Feeling completely overwhelmed
• Tearful
• Numb
• Thoughts of death and suicide