Depression

Time to see a doctor

If you think you might be depressed, see a healthcare provider. Only someone trained in mental health can tell for sure if you are depressed.

 

Depression is a disorder that makes you sad, but it is different from normal sadness. This is a mental health disorder characterised by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life. Depression can make it hard for you to work, study, or do simple daily tasks.

SYMPTOMS

Depressed people feel down most of the time for at least 2 weeks. They also have at least 1 of these 2 symptoms:

  • They no longer enjoy or care about doing the things they used to like to do.
  • They feel sad, down, hopeless, or cranky most of the day, almost every day.

Depression can also make you:

  • Lose or gain weight
  • Sleep too much or too little
  • Feel tired or like you have no energy
  • Feel guilty or like you are worth nothing
  • Forget things or feel confused
  • Move and speak more slowly than usual
  • Act restless or have trouble staying still
  • Think about death or suicide

 

Causes

Possible causes include a combination of biological, psychological and social sources of distress. Increasingly, these factors may cause changes in brain function, including altered brain activity.