Depression
Club Resource: Depression Factsheet.docx
Some facts
What you might feel if you are depressed ...
·
Depression is different from feeling down or sad. Depressed people can feel anxious, hopeless, negative and helpless and the feeling doesn’t pass.
·
Depression can happen suddenly as a result of physical illness, unemployment, bereavement, family problems or other life changing events.
·
Half of the people who have depression will only experience it once but for the other half it will happen again. The length of time that it takes to recover ranges from a few months to a year or more.
·
Living with depression is difficult for those who experience it and for their family, friends and colleagues.
·
It is sometimes difficult to recognise depression and to know what to do about it.
What are the signs of depression?
Depression shows up in many different ways. You don’t always realise what’s going on because your problems seem to be
physical, not mental. You might tell yourself you are simply under the weather
or feeling tired.
Key Symptoms of Depression Include:
Other Symptoms Include:
Getting Help
Reach Out
If something is troubling you – reach out to a friend and share the issue with them; DO NOT hide it or feel shame if
you are depressed
Get Help
Contact your GP or a local mental wellbeing charity if you are having issues – they will get you the right help for your needs e.g.:
Exercise
Exercising regularly can help your mood. Finding something that you enjoy doing is important so that you will want to keep it up. Exercise may also help you to get to sleep. Getting proper sleep is important for your mental health. You can try increasing the amount of exercise you do gradually.
The amount you can do will depend on your age, physical health and your fitness. We have listed some options below:
· Going for a walk
· Cycling
· Gardening
· Jogging
· Playing a sport
· Going to the gym In some areas, you may be able to get 'exercise on prescription' from your GP. For example, you could get some free sessions at a local gym.
Additional Information
‘I had a black dog, his name was depression’Australian based author and illustrator Matthew Johnstone developed a video called ‘I had a black dog, his name was depression’ that cleverly uses the black dog image as a metaphor. The video describes the author’s personal struggle with depression and his road to recovery. It received more than 100,000 views (YouTube) within three months of release.
Video Link
Some facts
- Every year one person in 4 will experience a mental health problem. This often follows trauma or upset and is more likely with stress.
- Depression can affect anyone at any age and at any time.
- Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide affecting about 151 million people at any one time*
- 21.5% of women and 13.6% of are experiencing depression or anxiety disorder at any one time **
- Mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain affecting 11.8% of women and 7.6% of men at any one time.
- Most people will recover from depression with the right support and/or treatment
- Getting help early can prevent depression getting worse.
What you might feel if you are depressed ...
·
Depression is different from feeling down or sad. Depressed people can feel anxious, hopeless, negative and helpless and the feeling doesn’t pass.
·
Depression can happen suddenly as a result of physical illness, unemployment, bereavement, family problems or other life changing events.
·
Half of the people who have depression will only experience it once but for the other half it will happen again. The length of time that it takes to recover ranges from a few months to a year or more.
·
Living with depression is difficult for those who experience it and for their family, friends and colleagues.
·
It is sometimes difficult to recognise depression and to know what to do about it.
What are the signs of depression?
Depression shows up in many different ways. You don’t always realise what’s going on because your problems seem to be
physical, not mental. You might tell yourself you are simply under the weather
or feeling tired.
Key Symptoms of Depression Include:
- Persistent sadness or low mood and/or
- loss of interest or pleasure in sport/activity,
- and fatigue or low energy.
Other Symptoms Include:
- Waking up early, having difficulty sleeping, or sleeping more
- poor or increased appetite
- difficulty remembering things, poor concentration or indecisiveness
- blaming yourself or feeling guilty about things
- feeling low-spirited for much of the time, every day
- lacking self-confidence and self-esteem
- being preoccupied with negative thoughts, and
- self harm or thoughts of suicide.
Getting Help
Reach Out
If something is troubling you – reach out to a friend and share the issue with them; DO NOT hide it or feel shame if
you are depressed
Get Help
Contact your GP or a local mental wellbeing charity if you are having issues – they will get you the right help for your needs e.g.:
- Prescribed anti-depressants
- Cognitive behaviour therapy CBT shows people how their thoughts affect their mood and teaches them to correct faulty negative thinking.
- Counselling
- Linked with Community Crisis Team (if depression severe)
- Alternative therapies such as Arts, massage
Exercise
Exercising regularly can help your mood. Finding something that you enjoy doing is important so that you will want to keep it up. Exercise may also help you to get to sleep. Getting proper sleep is important for your mental health. You can try increasing the amount of exercise you do gradually.
The amount you can do will depend on your age, physical health and your fitness. We have listed some options below:
· Going for a walk
· Cycling
· Gardening
· Jogging
· Playing a sport
· Going to the gym In some areas, you may be able to get 'exercise on prescription' from your GP. For example, you could get some free sessions at a local gym.
Additional Information
‘I had a black dog, his name was depression’Australian based author and illustrator Matthew Johnstone developed a video called ‘I had a black dog, his name was depression’ that cleverly uses the black dog image as a metaphor. The video describes the author’s personal struggle with depression and his road to recovery. It received more than 100,000 views (YouTube) within three months of release.
Video Link
