We all have times when we feel down. It's normal to feel sad when a relationship ends, or when experiencing problems at work  or someone we care about dies. The stress of work, financial difficulties or unemployment also affects our mood. However, the gloomy feelings usually pass and we still experience good times with friends or family.

Sometimes the sad feelings don't go away - we stop enjoying things that used to be fun. We might have difficulty keeping up with normal life activities, or find it hard to even get out of bed in the morning. This could mean we have become depressed.

If you've been feeling miserable more often than not over the past two weeks or more, and you've stopped enjoying things that used to be enjoyable, you might be depressed. Check the symptoms below - if you tick five or more it is likely you are experiencing a bout of depression.

• Finding it hard to get motivated and feel interested in things.
• Wanting to avoid friends and everyday activities.
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
• Losing interest in eating, or overeating.
• Losing weight, without dieting, or gaining weight.
• Thinking about, or planning suicide.
• Having unpleasant, negative thoughts (like feeling guilty or that you are a bad or unworthy person).
• Feeling tired easily/low energy
• Getting pains in your body or headaches that don't seem to have any physical cause.
  

Sometimes stress builds up in our lives and overwhelms our ability to cope. You may have lost someone you love either through death or a broken relationship, had a baby, or been too busy for too long. Ongoing stress like coping on a low income, facing financial debt, or feeling lonely and isolated can lead to depression.

Sometimes people get depressed for no obvious reason; the heavy feelings just seem to come out of the blue. This sometimes happens when people come from families who seem more vulnerable to becoming depressed after relatively mild stress. No matter how you became depressed, the effects are debilitating and will affect your daily life if left untreated.

It may still be useful for you to discuss your worries and low mood with a Counsellor. We encourage you to come for assistance before little problems become big ones.

No. Depression is more common than most people think. One in ten Malaysians will experience a bout of depression at some stage in their lives.

Depression can be treated. It's important to treat it like any other illness and seek help. Depression involves changes in brain chemistry and can influence the way we respond to our world. Options for dealing with depression include -

• Talking with a Counsellor or Psychologist who will:
1. Help you learn skills for solving problems, planning ahead and improving interactions with others.
   
   
2. Help you see the positive side of yourself, others, and your circumstances.
   
   
3. Assist your relationships with others.
   
   
• Sometimes your counsellor may refer you to a Psychiatrist to discuss the possibility of using antidepressant medicine to correct the imbalance of chemicals in the brain.

Often counselling, together with lifestyle changes (e.g. reducing stress, cutting down on alcohol) is useful for helping depression. In some cases medication may be necessary to help resolve a severe or long-standing bout of depression.

Talk to one of our counsellors. Please contact us at 03-7710-3360.