What is Depression?
Depression is a word that we often use if we're just having an off-day, or something sad has happened that makes us upset, but that isn't really what depression is.
Although it can be triggered by a particularly emotional event, Depression is not just feeling sad or having a bad day. Depression is used to refer to a Mental Health issue which, over an extended length of time affects a person's drive, willingness to interact in day to day life and not doing things they have to or want to do. Just like a physical illness, people who have depression may feel better sometimes and feel worse at others.
Seeing a friend struggle with depression might be quite frustrating. They might cancel plans at the last minute, or just not want to do anything when you suggest plans. Try to be understanding - if your friend had come down with a sickness bug, you wouldn't be upset if they cancelled; this is just the same. Some of the uninformed views that people have of depression is that it is made up, that it is an excuse and that people can just 'snap out of it'. This isn't the case. Depression can affect anybody and it will make a significant difference to how they want to participate in life. The video on the left is an excellent example of what it is like to have a period of depression.
Depression is a word that we often use if we're just having an off-day, or something sad has happened that makes us upset, but that isn't really what depression is.
Although it can be triggered by a particularly emotional event, Depression is not just feeling sad or having a bad day. Depression is used to refer to a Mental Health issue which, over an extended length of time affects a person's drive, willingness to interact in day to day life and not doing things they have to or want to do. Just like a physical illness, people who have depression may feel better sometimes and feel worse at others.
Seeing a friend struggle with depression might be quite frustrating. They might cancel plans at the last minute, or just not want to do anything when you suggest plans. Try to be understanding - if your friend had come down with a sickness bug, you wouldn't be upset if they cancelled; this is just the same. Some of the uninformed views that people have of depression is that it is made up, that it is an excuse and that people can just 'snap out of it'. This isn't the case. Depression can affect anybody and it will make a significant difference to how they want to participate in life. The video below is an excellent example of what it is like to have a period of depression.
What is important to know is that Depression and Anxiety often like to buddy up and create a negative mental health team to really try to get you down. This cartoon from Nick Seluk depicts what it can be like for a young person to struggle with both depression and anxiety: it is really eye-opening, so check it out.
If you want to know more about how you can help a friend with depression, visit the 'How Can I Help?' page.