Getting Help

Depression

It is common for people to say they are 'depressed' when they are feeling low, sad or dissatisfied in life, and in its mildest form, Depression can just mean being in low spirits. However, if these feelings persist, it could be depression in the medical sense of term.

Depression is more than just a low mood – it is an illness that impacts on both physical and mental health, which requires treatment, just like any other illness.

What is Depression?

Depression is a common mental illness, characterized by:

Sadness
Loss of interest or pleasure
Feelings of guilt or low self-worth
Disturbed sleep or appetite
Feelings of tiredness
Poor concentration

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Depression?

It is important to note that everyone can experience symptoms of depression from time to time and it may not necessarily mean that person has depression.

Depression can also affect different people in different ways, including their feelings, behavior, thoughts and physical health. The list of symptoms below is a guide only and does not provide a diagnosis. If you are concerned you (or someone you know) is experiencing symptoms of depression, please seek advice from a trained health professional.

Possible Signs and Symptoms of Depression include:

Behavior	Feelings
not engaging in social activities not getting things done at work/school/home withdrawing from close family and friends not doing usual enjoyable activities unable to concentrate relying on substances, sedatives and drugs	sad irritable frustrated overwhelmed guilty lacking in confidence unhappy indecisive disappointed miserable
Thoughts	Physical
Negative thoughts such as: 'I'm a failure' 'I'm worthless' 'Life's not worth living' 'It's my fault' 'People would be better off without me'	tired all the time recurrent or unexplained physical complaints change in sleeping and eating patterns significant weight loss or gain sick and run down headaches and muscle pains churning gut

If symptoms don't go away after two weeks, or if they come back over and over again, it could be depression.

Symptoms of depression interfere with all areas of a person's life, including work and social relationships. People may feel tired all the time, loose their confidence and their enjoyment of life.

"You don't want to do anything… you just want to be left alone and you don't want to meet others… you don't want to leave your bed and you want to sleep all day… you don't have appetite at all… you don't want to eat…"

"… When you go out with people and laugh it won't be a true laugh… you stop enjoying people's company… you keep your social life because you have to and not you want to…"

"Talking itself is difficult when you're depressed… you feel it needs a lot of energy to speak to others… you don't enjoy sociality and going out with others…"

"Doing the most basic everyday tasks became very overwhelming and stressful…I felt tired all the time, my brain was tired and my body was tired for no reason…"

Types of Depression

A trained health professional can provide a diagnosis of Depression depending on the severity, duration and type of symptoms.

There are different types of depressive disorders and depression can be described as mild, moderate or severe; melancholic or psychotic, so it is helpful to be aware of the range of conditions and their specific symptoms.

Below are some common terms, which may be used by health professionals to describe different types of Depression:

Terminology	Description
Clinical Depression or Major Depression or Mood Disorder	Clinical terms for the diagnosis of feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration which interfere with daily life and are experienced most days and last for at least two weeks.
Bipolar Affective Disorder	Also called Manic depression, bipolar is a different illness to depression and much less common. It consists of periods of both low and high moods. The high or 'elevated' mood is significant and is known as mania and the low mood involves symptoms of depression.
Psychotic depression (Psychosis)	Sometimes people with a depressive disorder can lose touch with reality and experiences severe disturbances in thinking, emotion and behavior. This is called 'psychosis', which can also be associated with other disorders including Schizophrenia.
Postpartum/ Postnatal Depression and Postpartum psychosis (Mental Health in Women)	Depression which affects women during pregnancy and in the year following the birth of a child with significant impact on day to day functioning. Postpartum depression is different from baby blues which is short lived and with less impact on functioning. Postpartum psychosis is different from postnatal depression and is a more severe illness.

“Major Depressive Disorder is the most burdensome disease in Qatar”

Seeking help early can help reduce the impact on a person’s quality of life