An Explanation of Depression
Occasionally Feeling Depressed is Not the Same as Having Depression
Men need to understand the difference between occasional feelings of sadness (which are a natural reaction to difficult events) and the medical disease called Depression.
Feeling Blue
In common parlance, depression is a word that we use to describe our emotions when we are sad or feeling “blue” or “down in the dumps”. Most men will feel like this now and then, reacting to some depressing situation in their day to day lives such as the loss of their job or the death of a loved one. Feelings like this can actually be useful because they can help the affected person to realise that something constructive must be done to change the situation in which they find themselves.
Clinical Depression
Medically, however, the word Depression is quite different to these feelings of sadness which are part of the usual emotional ups and downs of life. Clinical Depression lasts longer than an episode of “the blues” – being accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and helplessness that have serious negative effects on a person’s outlook. This type of Depression is not just about an episode of feeling sad or emotionally down – it is a medical disease that affects the way you think and behave.
Understanding the difference between those feelings of sadness (which are a natural reaction to a difficult event in our lives) and the clinical condition of Depression is important. While the feelings brought on by grief can be quite intense and last a long time, they help the person to adjust, develop new meaning in life and move on after the loss. Clinical Depression in contrast is an illness – characterised by symptoms such as
- feeling tired all the time
- feeling irritable or sad most of the time and lacking any joy in life
- being reluctant to undertake any activity because it is “too much of an effort”
- feeling unworthy and being a major burden to those around you
- having trouble falling asleep - or waking up in the early hours of the morning
The Black Dog
These relentless feelings of helplessness and hopelessness (which Winston Churchill, who suffered from Depression himself, used to call “The Black Dog”) are what make the condition so difficult to handle. Sometimes they can be quite frightening, evoking thoughts of death and suicide. Family and friends generally do not understand that the person so affected is suffering from an illness and not behaving like this because they have any choice in the matter. They may become frustrated and critical, nagging the depressed individual to just “snap out of it”.
Treating depression
Sadly, Depression is not an illness that someone can just “snap out of” - although it can be treated successfully.
The first step is to recognise that the symptoms you (or someone close to you) are feeling are manifestations of a common medical condition which is amenable to treatment. Talking about these feelings with someone close that you can trust is important, as is seeking professional help from a doctor, psychologist or qualified counsellor.
There are many ways – such as counselling, psychotherapy and medications – that are available to treat Depression. Which one (or more) of these forms of treatment is most appropriate for you is best decided in co-operation with a health professional.
What is important is to realise that the symptoms may be caused by a disease which needs treatment – and to seek professional help.
Depression after all is not a hopeless situation but a curable illness.
The Scream by Edvard Munch
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