Depression
Depression is a serious illness. It's distressing and disabling and can have a huge impact on the quality of life for the individual sufferer and those around them.
Depression isn't the same as the common experience of feeling unhappy or fed up for a short period of time. If you're depressed, feelings of extreme and persistent sadness and hopelessness can last for a long time, and will be severe enough to interfere with your daily life and functioning.
There are some signs or symptoms commonly associated with depression and these usually fall into four categories, often becoming part of a 'Vicious Cycle' - seen in the diagram below.
Talking therapies can help you overcome your depression through teaching you new skills and helping you to understand how to respond more positively to situations that usually contribute to your depression.
Self-help & finding out more...
When we’re feeling depressed, it can seem like there's no way out and things will never improve. However, there are some small changes that you can make which can break the cycle.
These include:
- Physical exercise and activity - when we feel depressed we usually do less. This can be related to tiredness, trouble sleeping and eating less therefore having less energy to do things
- By increasing your activity it can help you to feel better about yourself, feel less tired, think more clearly and give a sense of achievement
- Practice relaxation - reduce tiredness, improve sleep and your ability to deal with stress
- Get some facts about depression and how this relates to your specific situation. You might find this helps you to think more positively and take the first steps to address your difficulties
Download our guide to depression or see other resources about depression including videos and links to other websites for more information.
Accessing Talking Therapies in Wirral
If you feel that low mood or depression affecting your quality of life, please talk to your GP about a referral to our service. You might find it helpful to complete the short Depression Questionnaire and take this along to your GP consultation.
We operate from GP Practices and other community locations across Wirral, so we're able to provide support near to where you live. See our Location Matters section to find the nearest GP Practice or venue to you.
