What is depression?
Depressed people don’t all shuffle around with a long face, or cry at any provocation. MentalHealth.gov, a US government website, defines it as “losing interest in important parts of life”. Symptoms include eating or sleeping too much or too little; pulling away from people and usual activities; having low or no energy; feeling numb or like nothing matters; feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried or scared; and thinking of harming yourself or others.
A visceral description is quoted by the UK campaign group Mind: “It starts as sadness, then I feel myself shutting down, becoming less capable of coping. Eventually, I just feel numb and empty.”
Depression is also often mixed with other health problems: long-term illness, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder or schizophrenia, for example.
The term dysthymia is also used for mild, long-term depression – usually lasting two years or more.
How many people have...
Source: What is depression and why is it rising?
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