Depression can affect anyone, at any age.

​

We all understand what it’s like to feel sad, or down about things sometimes – it’s the normal, healthy reaction when something sad or stressful happens. Perhaps there are big changes in your life, like moving schools or homes, maybe you’ve had a big argument with friends or family, or lost someone you care about (if this is the case, you might also want to visit our information on grief). When things like this happen you might feel tearful and cry a lot, or feel unhappy and miserable, and your sleeping and eating patterns might change. This is all perfectly normal.

​

But for some people, those feelings can go on for weeks or months, and aren’t always caused by a specific situation. There are some people who still think depression isn’t a “real problem” – they’re wrong. It’s not a sign of weakness, or something you can just “snap out of”. People with depression can experience a range of symptoms, some of which include:

​

• feeling restless or worried

• having trouble concentrating or sleeping

• dizziness or heart palpitations

• Moodiness and irritability

• Difficulty concentrating

• Feeling tired all the time

• Changes in how they eat and sleep

• Not wanting to be involved with family and friends, and activities they used to enjoy

• Tearfulness and frequent crying

• Feelings of guilt – and blaming themselves 

• Thinking about hurting themselves

• Feeling unhappy, miserable, lonely and unwanted a lot of the time

• Physical pain

​

There are different types of depression, and quite often they can be linked to other things (like Seasonal Affective Disorder when people get depressed during winter, or Post-Partum Depression after a woman has a baby). 

 

Without help or treatment, depression can become a real problem for some people. It’s really important to get help as soon as possible if you think you, or someone you care about, might be depressed. When someone gets help with depression earlier, then they can start feeling better sooner, and the more chance of preventing the illness from disrupting their life, or becoming a long-term problem.

 

The good news is that with the right treatment and support, most people with depression make a full recovery – and there are a huge amount of professionals and agencies waiting to help, with a wide range of ways they can support you. We’ve put a list of them further down this page.

 

There’s a lot of work being done at the moment to help prevent depression, or stop it at the earliest signs of symptoms. One of the main ways this is done is by helping people develop resilience, and the positive mental wellbeing to cope with the challenges life can throw at us all. This is something we do in our Emotional Health and Wellbeing Services.