What is depression and how do I treat it?

Feeling down from time to time is a normal part of life, and many people may describe these low moods as feeling depressed. However, clinical depression is more than just feeling fed up or unhappy for a short period.

Dr Radha Modgil, a doctor and mental health expert, has teamed up with Bitesize Study Support to help explain what depression is, how it can affect the way you think, feel and behave, and how you can support someone who is experiencing it. Here is what she had to say.

What is depression?

Depression is when you feel low in mood. You can lose enjoyment and interest in things, this usually lasts for several weeks or months. Feelings of depression can also affect your daily life and make it difficult for you to do the things you want to do. If you have depression, it is important to get some professional support from your GP or another healthcare professional, and to tell a trusted friend or family member so you can get early and effective support.

What might you feel when depressed?

Depression can cause you to feel sad and tearful, and make you lose interest in your school work, relationships or things you usually would enjoy or want to do. It can sometimes even make you feel anxious or hopeless. You can also get physical symptoms; like feeling tired all the time, losing your appetite, having aches and pains and disturbed sleep. You may not feel like seeing your friends as much and want to be on your own, or sometimes find concentrating on things more difficult. Depression can be mild, moderate or severe in terms of how much it affects you.

What causes depression?

Depression can be triggered for many different reasons or a combination of things, or it can just feel like it comes out of nowhere. Big stressful events that happen to us in life like someone you love dying, trauma, illness, being bullied, feeling chronically lonely, or having family problems can sometimes trigger depression. The chance of getting severe depression may be more likely if someone in your family like your parents, brother or sister has had depression, but not necessarily; it is usually caused by a number of stressful life challenges happening in combination.

How to help someone who is depressed

When someone has depression, it is important to understand that they may withdraw more socially and feel less like talking or seeing people because this is one of the symptoms of depression; so, don’t take it personally, just be aware and notice if one of your friends or family members has not been so chatty or around so much.

One of the most important things that you can do to help them is just to be there for them; allow them to talk to you, ask them how they are, send them a text, call them, and let them know you are there for them no matter what and no matter when. Also, never assume, judge or try to ‘fix’ them; instead ask them what they need from you and what you can do that might be helpful for them without pressure. Try not to tell them ‘not to worry’ or to be ‘more positive’ because these are things that they might be working hard to change already, and its not helpful as it can show a lack of understanding of what they are going through.

Try to encourage them with basic self-care like eating, drinking, washing, getting outside and walking for example. You can also support them by encouraging them to seek professional support from their GP or another healthcare professional, or share some reliable resources online that might help them.

How to treat depression

The most important thing is to tell a trusted adult how you feel, and to see your GP as soon as you think you may be finding things difficult or having any symptoms of depression. They can talk through what has been going on, how you are feeling and work out how best to support you. Sometimes it can help to write down how you have been feeling or what has been happening before you go, or any questions you might have for them. With the right support and treatment, most people who have depression can recover and feel better.

If you need support

You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.

If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on the BBC Bitesize Action Line page for young people.