
Many people think that depression is just an emotion that is equal to anger, or opposite to happy. We don't call anger a mental illness, so why do we call feeling sad and down an illness?
Depression is a very real and, in some cases, a very serious illness; not an emotion, evil spirit, or a sign of weakness. Researchers have found that a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and emotion, seems to be most affected by depression. The hippocampus can shrink and change by up to 17%. If an All Black woke up with one leg much shorter than the other, we wouldn’t say it’s just imaginary, yet the impact of depression is sometimes downplayed. No doubt in part because it's not a visible ailment.
Depression often starts in people under 25 years old but it can affect all ages, genders, and ethnicities. According to the World Health Organisation it is the most common mental illness in the world .
How Depression Presents
People with depression can lose all enjoyment in life and might give up many of the things they enjoy like playing sport, enjoying art, or meeting up with friends. Depression can also affect a person's ability to concentrate; making even small choices, like choosing which breakfast cereal to buy, feel overwhelming.
For many people with depression everything becomes negative, and despite assurances to the contrary they may feel worthless, a burden to others, and find it hard to think of anything positive.
Depression affects the whole body, not just how someone feels. Sleep and appetite are affected which can result in a sense of exhaustion, making it hard to do things such as walking upstairs or having the energy to get out of bed. People’s energy and urge to take care of themselves such as washing or dressing well may also be affected.
Just because depression changes a part of the brain that we cannot see does not mean there are no outward signs.
Signs of Depression
A lot of the symptoms are internal (e.g. thoughts), or things that happen while at home (e.g. sleep) but there can be outwardly visible signs that someone has depression. Whilst some people hide their depression really well and no one will notice, for others there can be visible signs, like looking sad or being angry all the time.
Often the biggest sign is a change. Over time, the person suffering from depression may struggle to hide the effects and keep up the appearance of being okay by slowly withdrawing from activities they used to love, starting to run late, or looking dishevelled.
How You can Support Someone With Depression
They may not know they have depression, and it could be a friend, a family member, a teacher or employer who simply says, “I’ve noticed you don’t seem to be yourself, have you noticed this too? Would you like to talk?” This support, rather than telling them to “pull your socks up and cheer up” is important.
You can also support them by encouraging them and helping them to access professional help. There are many different talking therapies that can help.
Lifestyle changes like diet, a proper sleep routine and exercise can be helpful but when the person is ill they don’t have the energy to do those things and medication may be needed before they can tackle these changes.
In Summary
Depression is a very real and, in some cases, a very serious illness.
Spending time with each other and listening to understand could help us catch the illness early.
Treatment works, and it may be up to us to help people with depression to understand and believe that.
The most important thing to know is that there is hope. There is a way through this, and things will get better.
Written by
Dr Sue Bagshaw and Michael Hempseed