More information on depression

It is not unusual for people to feel down or sad at times. Sometimes these feelings can arise in response to a stressful, unsettling or sad event and sometimes for no apparent reason. However, if a person’s mood is persistently low, they may suffer from what is generally called ‘depression’.

A person who is depressed may have a range of experiences such as:

• hopelessness or helplessness
• losing interest in activities they usually enjoy
• lack of energy and motivation
• poor concentration
• changes in sleeping and eating patterns
• frequent crying
• feeling lonely, unloved or unlovable
• agitation and anxiety
• increased use of alcohol or other drugs
• anger and frustration
• withdrawing from others
• fatigue, headache or stomach ache
• feeling empty
• being reckless, taking bigger risks than usual
• feeling suicidal

Medical practitioners identify five main types of depression.

• Major depression - a depressed mood that lasts for at least two weeks. This may also be referred to as ‘clinical depression’ or ‘unipolar depression’.
• Psychotic depression - a depressed mood which includes symptoms of psychosis. Psychosis involves seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations), feeling everyone is against you (paranoia) and having delusions.
• Dysthymia - a less severe depressed mood that lasts for years.
• Mixed depression and anxiety - a combination of symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Bipolar disorder - (formerly known as manic depressive illness) is a mood disorder characterised by exaggerated mood swings. Bipolar means two poles, or extremes. Therefore, someone with bipolar disorder is likely to have extreme ups and downs. The perosn may experience varying extremes of mania, or up periods, and depression, or down periods - no one is the same.

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More information on depression
Understanding the experience of depression from the InSync framework
How is the InSync framework different to others?