Depression

Depression is one of the most common health issues for young people in Australia.

Depression is a mental illness characterised by feelings of sadness that lasts longer than usual, affect most parts of your life and stop you enjoying the things that you used to.

• You may be depressed if, for more than two weeks, you’ve felt sad, down or miserable most of the time, or have lost interest or pleasure in usual activities, and have also experienced several of the signs and symptoms across at least three of the categories below.
• It’s important to remember that we all experience some of these symptoms from time to time, and it may not necessarily mean you’re depressed. Equally, not everyone who is experiencing depression will have all of these symptoms.
• Loss of interest in food or eating too much, leading to weight loss or gain
• Having trouble sleeping (getting to sleep and/or staying asleep), or oversleeping and staying in bed most of the day
• Feeling tired most of the time, or lacking energy and motivation
• Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
• Feeling worthless or guilty a lot of the time
• Feeling everything has become ‘too hard’
• Having thoughts of death or suicide
• People with depression might have other mental or physical health problems as well, such as anxiety, or using cigarettes, alcohol or illegal drugs excessively.

If you think that you or someone you know may be experiencing some of these symptoms and may have depression please advise them to see a health professional.