More Than Just The Blues
All of us have days when we feel “low” or “blue.” But when you are feeling low to the point that it affects your ability to work and to carry on with your daily life, and if it goes on for more than two weeks, then you may be suffering from depression.
Some facts about depression:
- About 121 million people suffer from depression worldwide.
- Between 20 per cent and 50 per cent of children and teens struggling with depression have a family history of this struggle and the children of depressed parents are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression.
- Depression often co-occurs with anxiety disorders and substance abuse, with 30 per cent of teens with depression also experience a substance abuse problem. Among the people who suffer from depression, two-thirds of them never seek treatment.
If left untreated, depression is the number one cause of suicide.
Difference between sad and depressed
It is part and parcel of life to have things happen which get us upset and feeling down. This may be a relationship problem, problems in school or at work. This sadness is normal if it is short-lived and resolves without any treatment.
Depression on the other hand is an illness, a medical condition like diabetes or cancer. Depression is not a flaw in your personality and neither is it something that you can simply “snap-out” of.
When you are depressed, you will have difficulty coping at home and at work. You find yourself withdrawing from your family and friends, and you are not in the mood to do anything, not even the things which you used to find enjoyable.
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