What is Depression?

Depression (Major Depressive Disorder or Clinical Depression) is a common but serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. You can be experiencing depressive symptoms for various mental health issues, life circumstances, or environmental factors/triggers. Some examples include bereavement of a loved one, significant life adjustment/changes, work related stress, and trauma.

Common signs and symptoms of depression

  • Little interest or pleasure in doing things
  • Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
  • Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much
  • Feeling tired or having little energy
  • Poor appetite or overeating
  • Feeling bad about yourself or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down
  • Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television
  • Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed
  • Being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual

Anxiety and depression can feed into each other exacerbating symptoms.

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