See our Q&A on depression in pregnancy and postnatal
Other questions?
The questions listed above are the most common questions we get asked about depression. If you feel there are any others that should be added to the list please let us know. Email us your question on depression.
The following are a list of the features that may be experienced by someone with depression.
Note that, having one or other of these features, by themselves, is unlikely to indicate that someone is clinically depressed. Also, having these features for only a short period (of less than two weeks) is unlikely to indicate clinical depression. It's also important to know that many of the above features could be caused by or related to other things, such as a physical illness, the effects of medications, or stress. Help in coming to such decisions should be assisted by a proper assessment by a trained professional.
Everybody feels down or sad at times. But it's important to be able to recognise when depression has become more than a temporary thing, and when to seek help.
As a general rule of thumb, if your feelings of depression persist for most of every day for two weeks or longer, and interfere with your ability to manage at home and at work or school, then a depression of such intensity and duration may require treatment, and should certainly benefit from assessment by a skilled professional.
This is a common fear. It's important to know that depression can be successfully treated and that you will feel better in time and with the right treatment.
Sometimes depression goes away of its own accord, but, depending on the nature and type of the depression, it may take many months and possibly considerable suffering and disruption if left untreated. Allow yourself to seek help in the same way you might if you had a physical illness.
There are a large number of different treatments for depression. At the Black Dog Institute we believe that different types of depression respond best to different treatments and it is therefore important that a thorough and thoughtful assessment be carried out before any treatment is prescribed.
Treatments can fall into the following categories:
Physical treatments, comprising :
Psychological treatments, the most common ones being:
Find out more about treatments for depression.
Gordon Parker, Dealing with Depression: A common sense guide to mood disorders, Allen & Unwin, Sydney , 2004.
A good first place to start in getting help is to visit your local General Practitioner. Let him or her know if you think you might have depression. Your General Practitioner will either conduct an assessment of you to find out whether you have depression, or refer you to someone else, such as a psychiatrist or a psychologist.
Depending on the nature of your depression, your General Practitioner may recommend some psychological intervention, such as cognitive behaviour therapy or interpersonal therapy, and might prescribe antidepressant medication to relieve some of the symptoms of depression.
Because depression is a common experience these days, many General Practitioners are used to dealing with depression and other mental health problems. Some General Practitioners take a special interest in mental health issues and undergo additional training in the area. If you don't feel comfortable talking to your own doctor, find another one with whom you do feel comfortable. It is important that you feel comfortable talking about how you are feeling with your doctor so they have as much information to help you as possible.
If you are having trouble tracking down such a General Practitioner, you could telephone general practices in your area to find out whether any doctors in that practice have a particularly strong interest in mental health and, if so, whether they are taking on new patients. (Ask to speak to the practice manager.)
Psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors are other professionals trained to provide help for depression and mood disorders. You will need a referral from your doctor to see a psychiatrist (and this will either eliminate or reduce costs).
Social workers, occupational therapists and registered nurses are also trained in mental health.
Find out more about consulting a professional.
Someone with a depressive illness is like anyone with an illness - they require our care. You can provide better care if you are able to:
An important part of caring is to help the treatment process:
Don't forget that as a carer you too are likely to be under stress. Depression and hopelessness have a way of affecting the people around them. Therapy can release difficult thoughts and emotions in carers too. So part of caring is to care for your own self - preventing physical run-down and dealing with the thoughts and emotions within yourself.
Find our more about helping someone else.
Further reading: Chapter 21 of Dealing With Depression: A common sense guide to mood disorders, by Gordon Parker.
Page last updated: 23-Apr-2008
Depression and Bipolar Disorder Information Australia - Black Dog Institute.
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