Firstly, I'd like to thank you if you're reading this because you want to help someone you love, or just because you are intersted in learning more about depression - many people don't even like to acknowledge that it exists, so thank you very much for taking the time to read up about this. If you are reading this section because you want to help someone suffering from depression, you will also be interested in information for friends and family of sufferers.
Depression seems to be poorly understood by the general public. There seems to be the general feeling that depression is self-inflicted, with many sufferers told to 'get over it' or 'pull yourself together'. This is simply not the case - people suffering from depression are no more at fault for their illness than those suffering from heart disease or asthma. Please, never tell anyone suffering depression to 'get over it' or pull themselves together - unless you've been through it or helped someone going through it, you really can't fully understand what it's like to deal with and how severely it can take a hold on your life.
With my site I hope to educate people and give them an insight as to how depression can affect your life and the lives of those around you. It can be responsible for the loss of friendships and family break-ups as people can't cope with the pressure which, as I'm sure you can imagine, does nothing at all for the person suffering from depression.. it only makes them feel worse. However, this isn't all doom and gloom - if you're suffering from depression, get those closest to you to read over the info in this section (and in the information for friends and family of sufferers section) - they'll be able to understand what's going on and why it's going on. If they have knowledge of depression and how and why it affects you the way it does, they'll be able to support you more, and know not to take things personally if you're having a bad day.
It's my aim to make your visit a positive one - I've read many websites and found myself getting depressed to the point of crying as I've delved deeper into their pages.. this is the last thing you need when trying to recover from the illness, so I aim to show you that there is hope - I have a section devoted to self-help where I've listed ideas to try out that will help you - I know they work because I use some of them myself. I'm recovering - I still have my bad days - it takes a lot of effort and time, but it will happen, you will get there eventually... never lose sight of that, no matter what depressing cr*p you read on some 'clinical' sites.
Depression is just more than feeling blue - it's a long term condition. Everyone gets down from time to time, but depression is more serious than feeling low for a couple of days. If you've had a couple of the following symptoms for more than two weeks, you may be suffering from depression:
Five or more of the symptoms above for more than two weeks is classsified as Major Depression and you should make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the matter as soon as you can. Don't be scared about going - there's no shame in seeking help - it takes a lot of courage to do so. If you knew you had a heart condition you'd be on your way to see your doctor... this is no different to any other medical condition.
IMPORTANT NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: This information is just that - information. This is not intended to be used instead of qualified medical advice. If you think you have moderate to serious depression you must seek medical advice from a qualified professional.
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