Depression symptoms – Am I depressed?

What is depression

Depression is a low mood that is prolonged and starts to affect how you think, feel and live your life. It can bring feelings of sadness, emptiness or hopelessness, and it can take the enjoyment out of things you usually love doing.

Depression can be mild, moderate or severe. In its milder forms, it might leave you feeling flat and make everyday things harder work than usual. When it’s more severe, it can seriously affect your work, relationships and ability to get through the day. It also shows up differently in everyone, so your experience may not look like someone else’s.

Common symptoms of depression

Depression is a serious mental health issue that can impact how you think, how you behave, and how you feel. You won’t necessarily have all of these symptoms below, and they can range from mild to severe.

Changes in how you feel and think

You might feel sad, numb, irritable or guilty much of the time. Many people describe feeling hopeless or worthless, or losing confidence in themselves. Depression can also colour your thinking. You might be very critical of yourself, believe you can’t cope, or feel like a burden to the people around you. Concentrating and making decisions can also become difficult.

Some people with depression have thoughts of suicide or self-harm. If this is happening to you, support is available right now. You can call Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 at any time. If your life is in danger, call 000.

Changes in how you behave

You might lose interest in activities you used to enjoy, struggle to find motivation, or pull away from friends and family. Some people cry more than usual or lose their temper more easily. Things you’d normally manage, like work, study or household tasks, can start to feel out of reach.

Physical changes

Depression can affect your body too. Common physical symptoms include tiredness and low energy, sleeping too much or too little, changes in appetite or weight, headaches, and stomach aches. You might feel generally run down.

Am I depressed, or just feeling low?

Everyone feels down sometimes, especially after difficult experiences like a relationship ending, losing a job, or grieving a loved one. Feeling sad in these situations doesn’t mean you’re depressed, and those feelings usually ease with time.

It may be depression if your low mood doesn’t pass, is there most of the day on most days, causes you distress, or starts to interfere with your daily life. A common guide is symptoms lasting two weeks or more.

Only a health professional can diagnose depression, so think of these signs as a prompt to check in with your GP rather than a way to diagnose yourself. If what you’ve read here feels familiar, make an appointment to speak to your doctor.

What can cause depression

There’s rarely one single cause. Depression usually develops from a mix of things, and the combination is different for everyone. It can be influenced by:

• What’s happening now: Life stressors like money worries, job insecurity, relationship breakdowns, grief, poor sleep, or big life changes such as retiring or moving to a new place.
• Feeling disconnected: Loneliness and isolation, or not feeling seen, understood or valued by the people around you.
• Past experiences: Trauma, abuse, neglect, or growing up in an unstable home can increase the risk, even many years later.
• Other health conditions: Depression can occur alongside other mental health conditions, such as anxiety.

Whatever the cause, depression is never your fault, and it can be treated.

Tips to help you manage feelings of depression

Below are some ways to help you manage your feelings of depression. These tips won’t make depression disappear, but they can help you cope while you take the step of reaching out for support.

• Go easy on yourself: Criticising yourself for how you’re feeling tends to make things worse. It’s okay to expect less of yourself for a while. Ask yourself what you’d say to a friend in your situation.
• Get outside: Sunlight, fresh air and a change of scene can lift your mood, even briefly.
• Write it down: Putting your feelings into words can help you make sense of them. It doesn’t need to be neat or complete, just honest.
• Do something small: Making your bed, cooking a meal or tidying one corner of a room can give you a sense of achievement when motivation is low.
• Talk to someone you trust: Depression can make you feel like you’re a burden. Talking to a trusted friend, family member or health professional can remind you that people care and want to support you.

When and where to get help

If your symptoms have lasted two weeks or more, or they’re affecting your daily life, make an appointment with your GP. Be open about how you’re feeling, including any thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Your GP can talk through a mental health treatment plan with you and refer you to a psychologist or other mental health professional if needed.

Depression is treatable. Talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) help many people, and sometimes medication is part of treatment too. The right combination is different for everyone, and your GP can help you find yours.

You can also search for services in your local area using one of the national directories and services below:

• Lifeline Service Finder is a directory of free or low-cost health and community services available in Australia.
• Healthdirect Service Finder is a comprehensive directory of healthcare professionals and services in Australia.
• Medicare Mental Health is a free service that connects you with the mental health support that is right for you.
• If you are in an emergency, please call 000 immediately.

Suicide Call Back Service is a free counselling service available at any time. Call 1300 659 467 or click the chat button on the right for online counselling.

If it is an emergency, dial 000.