Many famous and successful people have suffered with or still have depression. This is a secret but very common illness, which will affect 10% of Australian men and 20% of Australian women. You are not alone as a sufferer or as a supporter of someone with depression.
Stress can lead to anxiety/worrying and depression. It is not a sign of weakness. Many things, such as pressure, viruses and childbirth can trigger depression in people who have never previously had it. If you have trouble concentrating on what you are reading or seeing on TV, this is a strong indicator there is something wrong. The therapists and counsellors can assist you with assessment, counselling and choosing the best therapy.
For most of the time over the past two weeks
1. Have you had trouble keeping your mind on things you were reading or watching television?
2. Have you had more trouble with your memory than usual?
3. Have you been feeling unusually tired every day?
4. Have you found it hard to enjoy life?
5. Have you had a lot of different physical symptoms or unusual pains?
6. Have you been feeling emotionally numb, not caring, sad, unhappy or miserable?
7. Have you been feeling more pessimistic or negative than usual?
8. Have you lost interest or enjoyment in the things you normally do?
9. Have you been less motivated, less productive, or found it more difficult to cope than usual?
10. Have you been sleeping worse than usual?
11. Have you been less interested in talking to people or mixing with people than usual?
12. Have you been more worried, nervous or uptight than usual?
13. Have you been more easily tearful or crying more than usual?
14. Have you enjoyed your food less than usual?
15. Has your sexual interest been less than usual?
16. Have you been less self-confident than usual?
17. Have you been more anxious, nervous or worried than usual?
18. Have you been more easily annoyed or more impatient than usual?
19. Has life seemed meaningless?
20. Has dying looked like a good option?
Answering "Yes" to more than 2 or 3 questions suggests you could have mild depression.
Answering "Yes" to lots of the questions makes it increasingly likely you do have mild to major depression.
Depression is an illness that can cause lots of suffering for you (and lots of worry for those close to you) but an illness that can be very effectively wiped out.