Are you ill?

TESS

It is important to decide whether you are just sad or whether you are suffering from clinical depression. This is because there is a difference between being sad, for example about losing a close family member, and being sad as a result of clinical depression.

If you are grieving over a family member, you may perhaps be experiencing a reaction of grief and sadness. This does not have the same consequences on your quality of life as clinical depression. Sadness and grief are temporary and not as severe as clinical depression. If you have a reaction of grief which must be treated, the treatment will typically involve supportive discussions. A serious life event such as a death in the family can lead to clinical depression. Many people believe in such a situation that it is a reaction of grief which just has to be "lived through". Nothing could be further from the truth. It is therefore important to realize that if you are unhappy for more than "a short period" after such an event, you should contact your doctor to discuss your condition.

Greatest pain

Depression in its most severe form has been described as the greatest pain you could ever suffer. But there are five things that you should know:

• Depression is an illness.
• It will not pass over when you "pull yourself together."
• It is not something to be ashamed about.
• Depression can and should be treated.
• You will recover fully after your treatment.

You cannot cure depression yourself. You cannot either "work your way out" of a depression or simply "pull yourself together" and come out of depression in that way. These are two of the most widespread myths about clinical depression. They are simply not true and they harm everyone who suffers from depression.