Depression: What it is and what it isn't

It’s a fact of life that we will all feel down from time to time. Quite often we will describe these feelings as “being depressed”. But, typically, these feelings go away and we can carry on with our lives without it affecting us too much. Feeling stressed after a bad day at work or doing badly in an exam, or feeling down after breaking-up with a partner, for example, is to be expected and is a completely natural emotional response. With time, we usually feel better and begin to enjoy life again. Having the blues or going through a tough patch is not the same thing as being depressed.

Depression is an illness. For many people, depression means intense feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. The wall of depression on the Feeling Crap? page lists a lot of the most common symptoms, or signs, of depression. These symptoms will be different for every person. For example, one person may find that they want to sleep all the time; another may get insomnia and not be able to get to sleep at all or wake at an early hour. Where one person might spend a lot of time crying, another person might have intense feelings of agitation. But generally, when diagnosing depression there are two important factors:

These feelings are persistent, meaning that they just never seem to go away and don’t change much day to day, even when there isn’t any particular reason for feeling that way.
They interfere with your life, leaving you unable to enjoy normal pleasures. In severe cases, depression can make normal everyday tasks like getting dressed or doing the shopping feel like an impossible mountain to climb.

As a general rule, if you recognise that three or more of these symptoms have been present for more than two weeks and they are affecting your ability to cope with life, go to your GP or talk to someone you trust who can help you.

There can be a lot of stigma around depression. Remember – depression is an illness. Just like diabetes and cancer as also illnesses. Depression doesn’t mean you are a bad person, or have failed to cope with life. With the right help most people do get better. Go to the Getting help section for tips on what you can do and to find out about organisations that you can contact for support and information.

What it is

Depression is an illness
It is treatable and people do get better
It is common - affecting 1 in 5 people in Scotland at some point in their lives
It’s CRAP: it might be hard to remember how you felt when you were well but this is not your personality

What it isn’t

Depression is not a passing blue mood
It is not an everyday low or sadness
It is not a sign of personal weakness
It cannot be wished away and people with depression cannot just “pull themselves together” and get better

Brought to you by Depression Alliance Scotland.
About Us | Can you really say 'crap'? | Funders | Contact Us

Depression: What it is and what it isn't
It’s a fact of life that we will all feel down from time to time. Quite often we will describe these feelings as “being depressed”. But, typically, these feelings go away and we can carry on with our lives without it affecting us too much. Feeling stressed after a bad day at work or doing badly in an exam, or feeling down after breaking-up with a partner, for example, is to be expected and is a completely natural emotional response. With time, we usually feel better and begin to enjoy life again. Having the blues or going through a tough patch is not the same thing as being depressed. Depression is an illness. For many people, depression means intense feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. The wall of depression on the Feeling Crap? page lists a lot of the most common symptoms, or signs, of depression. These symptoms will be different for every person. For example, one person may find that they want to sleep all the time; another may get insomnia and not be able to get to sleep at all or wake at an early hour. Where one person might spend a lot of time crying, another person might have intense feelings of agitation. But generally, when diagnosing depression there are two important factors: These feelings are persistent, meaning that they just never seem to go away and don’t change much day to day, even when there isn’t any particular reason for feeling that way. They interfere with your life, leaving you unable to enjoy normal pleasures. In severe cases, depression can make normal everyday tasks like getting dressed or doing the shopping feel like an impossible mountain to climb. As a general rule, if you recognise that three or more of these symptoms have been present for more than two weeks and they are affecting your ability to cope with life, go to your GP or talk to someone you trust who can help you. There can be a lot of stigma around depression. Remember – depression is an illness. Just like diabetes and cancer as also illnesses. Depression doesn’t mean you are a bad person, or have failed to cope with life. With the right help most people do get better. Go to the Getting help section for tips on what you can do and to find out about organisations that you can contact for support and information.	What it is Depression is an illness It is treatable and people do get better It is common - affecting 1 in 5 people in Scotland at some point in their lives It’s CRAP: it might be hard to remember how you felt when you were well but this is not your personality What it isn’t Depression is not a passing blue mood It is not an everyday low or sadness It is not a sign of personal weakness It cannot be wished away and people with depression cannot just “pull themselves together” and get better
Brought to you by Depression Alliance Scotland. About Us \| Can you really say 'crap'? \| Funders \| Contact Us
Copyright: DAS, 2008. Last updated: 17/6/08