Published:
02/12/2014 08:17am
Having a Bad Day Again? When “Sadness” Might Actually Be Depression, and What You Can Do About It
Although one in every five Australians will suffer from significant levels of depression, only half of them will actually seek appropriate treatment – often because they believe they’re “just feeling down,” or “having a bad day.” Unfortunately, without treatment, clinical depression won’t just go away on its own. If you’ve experienced prolonged bouts of sadness or hopelessness, or you’ve found that you simply don’t enjoy life like you used to, you should know that there IS help – and you CAN feel better.
To correctly identify depression, and then work toward improved mental health, it is important to first answer the question, “What exactly IS depression?”
Let’s take a look at Frank’s story.
Every morning for months, Frank has struggled to get out of bed, and to accomplish simple tasks like paying the bills, or ironing his work shirts. Although nothing in his life has changed, he feels down, lonely and despondent, most of the time. He struggles to really engage in anything, and while he can’t put his finger on a certain event that triggered these feelings, he simply doesn’t enjoy life anymore … no matter how much he wants to. He doesn’t look forward to anything – not even to playing with his children, or going out on dates with his wife.
For the past few weeks, Frank has tried to “fix” his feelings of unhappiness. He’s gotten more sleep, exercised more, and eaten foods he’s heard contain “mood boosters.” But nothing is working; He can’t figure out why he feels so down, and in turn, is burdened by a constant feeling of hopelessness.
Frank, like so many Australians, is struggling with depression, a mental state in which a person feels sad, down, and helpless for a prolonged period of time.
If Frank’s story sounds familiar, you may be wondering what the difference really is between occasional sadness or hopelessness, and a clinical depressive disorder. How does a person tell whether she’s just down, or experiencing grief, or whether she should seek treatment for clinical depression?
Sadness and grief can be healthy and functional emotions, which allow people to be resilient, and adjust to the hardships we all encounter.
On the other hand, depression is a totally negative emotion, which lasts two weeks or longer, and actually keeps people from living the life they want to. It harms self-efficacy, and inhibits personal growth. Although it is often seen as a response to major life events, genetic and biological factors can drive it, as well.
People with major depressive disorders may experience some or all of the following symptoms on a regular basis – often nearly every day:
• Depressed mood/feelings
• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all (or almost all) activities
• Significant weight loss when not dieting
• Significant weight gain
• Insomnia or excessive sleeping (hypersomnia)
• Feeling “fidgety” or in “slow motion”
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness, or excessive and/or inappropriate guilt
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness
• Recurrent thoughts of death or thoughts of suicide, without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide
If any of this sounds familiar, there IS good news: you DON’T have to live this way! If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, consider seeking professional treatment from a psychologist, who can use several different types of therapy to begin the process of attaining mental health and happiness – so you can live your life without the constant pain.
*Please note: Frank’s story, above, is fictitious. It is not based on a real person, and is used only as an illustration of the symptoms of depression.
Aspire Health & Psychology is a professional psychological service in Newport Victoria, Australia. Psychologists in Aspire Health & Psychology provide most kinds of popular psychological therapies, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Schema Focused
