Feeling Blue?

We often say that we are down or depressed, but how many of us actually know the clinical symptoms of depression? The most common psychological disorder reported by GP's is depression. In order to be diagnosed with depression an individual must report most of the following symptoms over a two week period:

• · feeling sad most of the time
• · lost interest in most of your usual activities
• · lost or gained weight
• · felt excessively guilty
• · sleep disturbance
• · felt worthless
• · had poor concentration
• · were very indecisive

Looking at the list above, I think many people may have experienced these symptoms at one time or another, including myself. There is no one single cause of depression and consequently there is no one quick fix either. If you think you may be depressed please seek help, early intervention ensures that you will get the support you need. Be honest about how you are feeling, as keeping things to yourself or pretending everything is fine will only aggravate the illness further.. You deserve to live a life of calm,  peace and purpose. As a coaching psychologist I have seen many clients struggle with depression and it skews their judgement, robs them of their creativity, plants seeds of doubt that manifest and fester.

When someone is experiencing depression it is like they are shrouded in a veil which prevents them from seeing things logically or clearly. They may make poor decisions or indeed feel immobilised to make any decisions. Depression can be misunderstood and people can feel that the individual suffering from depression is doing it for attention, or trying to be difficult, they are not. They are genuinely struggling with their emotions and no doubt finding it increasingly difficult to do their job effectively whether in work or at home.

Take action instead of denying how you are feeling if you are depressed, rest assured that many people have experienced depression, including well known celebrities like Jim Carey, Larry King, Marion Keyes, Jessica Rowe and Britney Spears. It is not a life long illness and with support and taking positive steps depression can be managed successfully.

The following link is for a quick depression self test. The site also offers a wealth of information, factsheets and support.

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/public/depression/howtotell/selftesting.cfm