From time to time everyone feels sad, especially when under stress or facing relationship breakdowns or disappointment. Feeling sad or low at these times is normal, and these feelings generally only last a short time, usually hours. Depression is when these feelings are experienced consistently and excessively for most of the day over a longer period of time (two weeks or more).Depression can impact on the way you feel both emotionally and physically as well as the way you think and behave. This impact can severely affect your daily life.
Depression is not usually caused by one thing, but rather by a combination of factors interacting with one another. These factors can be broadly grouped into 2 categories, biological factors and psychological factors. The biological factors include genes, hormones and your brain. The psychological factors may include distorted thinking patterns, an experience of loss, a sense of failure and stress.
There are a number of things we can do to overcome or prevent depression. Talk therapy (psychotherapy) with a clinical psychologist is a helpful way to combat depression. Your doctor may also have prescribed some medication and this will assist in correcting chemical imbalances. Studies have shown that good results are obtained through a combination of psycho-therapy and medication therapy.