Depression is common. Symptoms affect day-to-day life and can become very distressing. Treatments include talking treatments and antidepressant medicines. Treatment takes time to work but has a good chance of success. Some people get recurrent depression , and regular treatment may be needed to keep symptoms away.

Living with a long term condition

Many people who live with a long term condition like diabetes or heart disease get low from time to time. It can be very tough coping with symptoms, not being able to do the things you use to be able to do, having to take lots of medicines and see health professionals a lot. Some people find that they are not just low occasionally but actually end up feeling stuck in a rut, feeling pretty rotten or plain depressed.

The good news is that people with long term conditions do not have to feel depressed. There are things that can be done to help.

Steps Forward

We now routinely ask anyone living with a long term condition about their mood using two or three simple questions. This is to try and identify people who may be currently low or depressed. The nurse or doctor seeing you and asking these questions felt there was a chance that you might have become depressed.

What to do now?

The person who reviewed your long term condition has given you this leaflet and also perhaps a simple questionnaire.

This leaflet helps explain a little more about what depression is and what can be done by you and us to help you.

The questionnaire is a useful way of ‘scoring’ symptoms and gives you and us more information about your current feelings and emotions.

Please read this leaflet and see if you feel it applies to you

Please also book an appointment to see a GP or nurse of your choice, to have a further conversation about mood and whether there are things that can be done to help

What is depression?

The word depressed is a common everyday word. Everyone feels fed up, sad, or 'in a mood' from time to time. People might say "I'm depressed" when in fact they mean "I'm fed up because I've had a row, or failed an exam, or lost my job" etc. These ups and downs of life are common and normal. Most people recover quite quickly.

With true depression, you have low mood and other symptoms each day for at least two weeks. Symptoms also become severe enough to interfere with day-to-day activities.

Who gets depression?

About 2 out of every 3 adults has depression at some time in their life. Sometimes it is mild or lasts just a few weeks. However, about 3 in 20 adults have a severe depression at some stage. Some people have two or more bouts of depression at various times of their life.

What are the symptoms of depression?

Many people know when they are depressed, but some people do not realise when they develop depression. They may know that they are not right and are not managing as well, but don't know why. Some people think that they have a physical illness, for example, if they lose weight, or feel very tiered all the time. The following is a list of common symptoms of depression. It is unusual to have them all, but several usually develop if you have depression.

Does depression go away?

Many people with depression will get better without treatment. However, this may take several months or even longer. Meanwhile, living with depression can be difficult and distressing for you and often it is also upsetting for your family and friends. Relationships, employment, etc, may be seriously affected. There is also a danger that some people turn to alcohol or illegal drugs. Some people even think of suicide. Therefore treatment is usually of great benefit.

Depression and stigma or embarrassment

Depression is very common, but many people don’t like to admit to it. Some people feel there is a stigma attached, or that people will think they are weak. But many well known and strong people such as Winston Churchill and Paul Merton have suffered depression. Depression is one of the most common illnesses that we deal with. The good news is that there is a lot you can do and a lot we can do to help

What help can we offer?

Between what you can do, and we can help with, there is a good chance you will get better sooner rather than later. We try and work with you so that you get the right level of help depending on how severe your difficulties are and which ways you want to try and handle your problems.

Things that can help everyone with depression:

Understanding

Understanding that symptoms are due to depression and that it is a common illness may help you to accept that you have a difficulty that may need and benefit from help. This is particularly true when physical symptoms such as headache or weight loss occur. Some people ask "am I going mad?" It may be a relief to know that you are not going mad, and the symptoms you have are common and have been shared by many other people. You may 'bottle up' your symptoms from friends and relatives. If you are open about your feelings with close family and friends, it may help them to understand and help.

Good quality information

If you find it helpful we have a range of good quality leaflets to help you understand more about depression and other mental health difficulties.

Support and access to other help

We believe that many people can get better if they have support, if they have things to do (particularly exercise), places to go, people to talk to. We work with a number of community organisations and will be able to point you in their direction.

Follow-up

Because depression sometimes takes a while to improve, and because sometimes people don’t stay in contact with us, we like to try and keep in touch with anyone who has been depressed.

Some people (often with more severe depression) may also need:

Supported self help

We use booklets that have been shown to help a lot when people are depressed or anxious. You can go as fast or as slow as you like. We will help you stick with it.

Talking treatment

We can offer you time with a specialist mental health practitioner or a clinical psychologists, as well as time with your own clinician (GP or nurse).

In some people there is a particular problem that caused the depression, or is making it worse. For example, marital problems, sexual problems, bereavement, previous childhood abuse. In these situations we can help you to find the right kind of help.

Antidepressants

Antidepressant medicines are commonly prescribed for depression although here at Collingwood Health Group we try and use them mainly for people who have more severe or long standing depression. They work well to relieve symptoms in about 7 in 10 cases. A medicine cannot alter your circumstances. However, symptoms such as low mood, poor sleep, poor concentration, etc, are often eased. This may then allow you to cope better, and increase your ability to deal with any problems or difficult circumstances.

Antidepressants do not usually work straight away. It takes 2-4 weeks before their effect builds up fully.

Occasionally people who are more ill need:

Referral

Most people who experience depression or anxiety do well with what we and they can do at the surgery. Occasionally we ask others to help and this is usually the Community Mental Health Team.