About depression
We can all feel low from time to time. Certain events in our life can lead to increased stress and worry, such as unhappiness when a relationship ends or someone close to us dies, financial stress from loss of income due to illness or unemployment, or disruption caused by family conflict or physical illness. However, after a period of time has passed we are usually able to pick ourselves up and continue on with our lives.
Clinical depression is very different from a temporary low mood. It is a serious illness with debilitating consequences for your physical, emotional and everyday life, and we provide specialist treatment to help you deal with it.
Clinical depression is a widespread mood disorder that affects many people around the world. It is estimated that around one in five people will be affected by depression in their lifetime – one in four females and one in six males. Depression is often experienced with other mental illnesses, such as an anxiety disorder, eating disorder or psychosis. It can also occur with an acute physical condition or illness such as cancer, diabetes or obesity and frequently with drug and alcohol use.
Symptoms of depression
Depression can be displayed as a lack of interest in everyday life, or an obviously and consistently low mood. Feelings of sadness, bleakness and hopelessness can seem overwhelming, accompanied by anger or even an apparent lack of feeling. The distress caused by depression is significant, causing major interference with daily life.
Other symptoms of depression can include:
- feeling unmotivated and lacking energy
- loss of interest in normally pleasurable activities
- feeling irritable and moody
- wanting to be alone
- loss of self-esteem
- weight loss or gain
- inability to cope with everyday stress
- sleeping problems
- morbid thoughts.
Causes of depression
There is no single factor that causes depression. Rather, depression is caused by the culmination of many factors, including genetic predisposition, personality, chemical imbalance and life stress. The interaction of these factors can trigger an episode of clinical depression.
