Recognising depression

These days we hear the word ‘depression’ a lot. If someone has a bad they, they brand themselves ‘depressed’. If something minor happens, they describe it as ‘depressing’ them. We use the word in a flippant way and we don’t think twice. By using the term in this way, we normalise it but not in a positive way. Depression becomes connected with a fleeting bad mood and is not recognised for the mental illness that it actually is, and the stigma remains for the people who genuinely suffer. Who don’t simply ‘snap out of it’.

“Depression is a mental health condition that affects people’s thinking and feelings, their energy and their behaviour,” says Brid O’Meara, the Director of Services with Aware, a group that provides information, understanding and support for people and families affected by depression or bipolar disorder.

The statistics on depression in Ireland are misleading. One in ten people in Ireland experience depression, and with many never seeking help, it can be hard to find exact figures. The number of people suffering could be a lot higher. Brid says that despite this, she believes awareness around depression and the importance of caring for our mental health is improving.

“I do think it’s improving and we know that from the number of people using our services. They are quicker to pick up the phone and enquire. We have a Freephone support line and we’ve seen a 20 per cent increase in calls to our support line in the past year, and that’s significant,” says Brid.

“I think it’s really good because I think people, if they’re concerned, they don’t feel they need to go straight to a counsellor or a doctor, they might just pick up the phone and ring us and say, ‘This is how I’m feeling, what do you think?’”

One of the most important things, says Brid, is continuing to raise awareness through sharing personal experiences about living with depression.

“I think every time there’s an article in the newspaper or an interview on the radio, that’s normalising it. I think that helps because we all have things that life throws at us and I think raising awareness of it being okay to struggle when there’s difficult things thrown at us…”

Prevention is something that is very much at the forefront when it comes to depression and mental health in Ireland. It’s about continued care of our mental health so that we don’t end up in such a state that we’re in a crisis. Brid says that good prevention means looking after ourselves and “recognising small symptoms of anxiety creeping in or symptoms of low mood creeping in” and then making a choice to change or add something to your life so you are better able to manage.

So how can we mind our mental health and practice prevention ourselves?

“There’s a number of things that people can include into their lives that are very helpful. Some of them are very similar to what you would do for your physical health, so things like trying to get a bit of exercise. If you introduce a bit of exercise into your routine every day. Now I’m not talking about joining a gym or training for a marathon or climbing Croagh Patrick. I’m talking about small things. If you get the bus to work, would you consider getting off one stop earlier and just walking that last bit to work?” says Brid.

Diet is also incredibly important – ensuring you’re eating well. Another good idea says Brid is to think about your day and focus on three things that went well for you or that you achieved.

“It’s really good for you at night to look back on your day and think, ‘Do you know what? I actually achieved that,’ and if it’s a bad day, it could be as simple as, ‘I got up and I got dressed today,’ – This is known to have a really positive impact on your self-esteem because you’re recognising what you’ve achieved and [a positive impact] overall on your mental health.”

Aware is an organisation which offers information, understanding and support for anyone living with (or supporting a loved one with) depression or bipolar disorder. Their support line is available seven days a week from 10am to 10pm. You can all the support line on Freephone 1800 80 48 48.

Aware provides a range of free support, education and information services. Aware’s Life Skills Group programme is a free six-week programme that teaches people how to thrive by inspiring new ways of thinking. The next course is running in November. For details see www.aware.ie  

DEPRESSION: KNOW THE SYMPTOMS

Aware uses the following acronym to describe what the symptoms of depression are. Brid says: “At aware we have an acronym to describe what are the symptoms of depression and we suggest that if people have five or more of those symptoms for two weeks or more that they should see their GP. We say that to differentiate between somebody who’s having a bad day and depression. Or somebody who’s dealing with a short-term crisis and depression.”

The Aware acronym is: FESTIVAL

F is for FEELINGS – “When we talk about feelings in depression, we’re talking about somebody that’s feeling said, anxious maybe, guilty, feeling hopeless, maybe worthless.”

E is for ENERGY – “Generally when people are experiencing depression they have very little energy. They’re feeling tired, they’re feeling fatigued. Some people would describe sleeping a lot but when they wake up they don’t feel rested so their energy is very low.”

S is for SLEEPING – “Sleep can be impacted in a number of ways depending on the person. I tend to say any change to your normal sleep pattern. Some people under sleep, can’t get to sleep, they’re lying awake looking at the ceiling at night trying to figure out how they’re going to get to sleep. More people are over sleeping and they might sleep for very long periods and might wake up not feeling rested, not feeling rejuvenated.”

T is for THINKING – “People who are experiencing depression through their thoughts would be slow. It would take them longer to process things, and concentration can be quite poor. It’s very hard to stay with something and see it through.”

I is for INTEREST – “There would be a loss in interest and hobbies. Things that normally gave you enjoyment, things you would have enjoyed doing so maybe you were a member of a club or singing in a choir, doing various things, but you lose interest in those things when your mood is low.”

V is for VALUE FOR SELF – “It’s very well known that when people’s mood is low that their self-esteem is also low and that’s connected very totally with feelings of sadness and guilt and hopelessness and worthlessness – all are interconnected with low self-esteem.”

A is for ACHES AND PAINS – “A lot of people experiencing depression would talk about having aches and pains. Sometimes they’re associated with places where we would hold stress. It might be headaches, neck aches, head and shoulders. Everybody has their own places where they hold stress.”

L is for LOSS OF INTEREST IN LIVING – “A lot of people who are experiencing depression may have thoughts about ending their life and as we know, for some people it’s more than thoughts. Some people can have a very strong plan to [end] their life and some people do take their life.”