We all have times when our mood is low, and we feel sad or fed up. Often these feelings happen for a reason and pass on their own. But if these feelings last for weeks at a time, or become so bad that they interfere with daily life, this might be depression. If you’re feeling this way, help is available.
Depression is a mental health problem that involves having a low mood or losing interest and enjoyment in things. It can also cause a range of other changes to how you feel or behave.
The symptoms you experience may vary. How intense they are, how long they last, and how much they affect your daily life can also vary.
If you experience milder depression, you might have low mood but still be able to carry on with your daily life. But things may feel harder and less worthwhile.
If you have more severe depression, you might find day-to-day life much more difficult. You may also experience suicidal feelings.
Watch: Depression explained, an animation explaining depression. Learn more about what depression is, how it might feel – and where to get help. Our thanks to Mind for allowing us to share this series.
We all have times when our mood is low, and we feel sad or fed up. Often these feelings happen for a reason and pass on their own.
But it might be depression if the feelings become so bad that they interfere with our daily life. Or if they last for several weeks or months.
See below for information on the symptoms of depression.
If you’re diagnosed with depression, you might also be told that it is ‘less severe’ or ‘more severe’. This describes how your symptoms are affecting you, and what treatment you’re likely to be offered. You may find that the severity of your depression changes over time.
Sometimes you might hear depression being called ‘major depressive disorder’. There are some other types of depression too:
For Annika, depression made her anxious to slow down or relax. She was worried what would happen if she didn’t keep busy. Watch Annika’s story to learn how depression affected her – and how she finds comfort in walking in nature, her faith, and helping others. Our thanks to Mind for allowing us to share this video.
There are many signs and symptoms of depression, and everyone’s experience will vary. This page covers:
These are some common signs of depression that you may experience:
It’s very common to experience depression and anxiety together. Some symptoms of depression can also be symptoms of anxiety, for example:
See our pages on anxiety for more information.
If you’re feeling low, you might self-harm to cope with difficult feelings. Although this might make you feel better in the short term, self-harm can be very dangerous.
When you’re feeling really low and hopeless, you may also find yourself thinking about suicide. This could be thinking about the idea of suicide, or considering a plan to end your life. These thoughts can feel difficult to control, and can be very frightening.
If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, it’s a mental health emergency. Seek emergency advice.
If you experience depression, you might also experience some psychotic symptoms. These may include delusions, such as paranoia. Or they may be hallucinations, such as hearing voices.
If you experience psychotic symptoms as part of depression, they’re likely to be linked to your depressed thoughts and feelings. This may include experiencing delusions relating to feelings of guilt. For example, you might become convinced that you’ve committed a crime.
These kinds of experiences can feel very real at the time. This might make it hard to understand that these experiences are also symptoms of your depression. And they can be frightening or upsetting, so it’s important to seek treatment and support.
You might worry that experiencing psychotic symptoms could mean you’re given a diagnosis that doesn’t feel right for you. But discussing all your symptoms with your doctor can help you get the right support and treatment.
See our pages on psychosis for more information.
If you have depression, you might find that it interferes with different aspects of your life. For example, it might affect your ability to work, your relationships, or managing your finances. This can add extra stress to an already difficult experience.
It may also feel hard to explain your thoughts and feelings to others. You might want to cut yourself off from other people instead. This could lead to you feeling isolated and lonely.
If depression is having an impact on your daily life, help is available. See Mind’s pages on getting support at work and organising your finances which may help.
Symptoms of depression can also be part of other mental health problems, such as:
If you experience low mood or suicidal thoughts, this might be the reason you first speak to your doctor about your mental health. And your doctor might offer you treatment for depression without realising that you also experience other symptoms.
If you think you’re experiencing other symptoms, you can talk to your doctor about this to make sure you’re getting the right treatment.
There are many ideas about what causes depression. Research suggests that there’s unlikely to be one single cause.
The causes can also vary a lot between different people. For some of us, a combination of different factors may cause our depression. Or we may find that we become depressed without an obvious cause or trigger.
This page covers some possible causes of depression:
The human brain is extremely complicated. Because antidepressants work by changing brain chemistry, some people have assumed that depression is caused by changes in brain chemistry which are then ‘corrected’ by the drugs. Some doctors may tell you that you have a ‘chemical imbalance’ and need medication to correct it.
But the evidence for this is very weak, and if changes to brain chemistry occur, we don’t know whether these are the result of the depression or its cause.
Research shows that going through difficult experiences in your childhood can make you more vulnerable to experiencing depression later in life. These could include experiences like:
Difficult experiences during childhood can also have a big impact on your self-esteem. And they can affect how you learn to cope with difficult emotions and stressful situations. This could make you feel less able to cope with difficult experiences and lead to depression later in life.
Visit Mind’s page on support options for abuse to find organisations who can help if you’ve experienced abuse.
Some of us may experience depression after going through an unwelcome, stressful or traumatic event. There are many different types of event that might trigger depression. But some examples include:
It’s not just negative experiences themselves that cause depression. How we cope with them, and the support we have around us, can also affect how likely we are to experience depression.
Grief is a natural response to losing someone or something we love. This often includes experiencing a low mood. How long this lasts will be individual to you. This period of feeling low is referred to as bereavement.
But if you feel that what you’re experiencing might be something more than grief, you can talk to your doctor about it.
Or you might want to try bereavement counselling. This may be more helpful for you than general support for depression. Cruse Bereavement Support offers support and counselling for anyone affected by bereavement.
Those of us who experience certain patterns of thinking may be more likely to develop depression. For example, if we tend to blame ourselves for negative events. Or think about the same negative event over and over.
If you experience negative patterns of thinking, there are ways to get help. For example, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) could help you notice negative patterns of thinking. And it can help you find ways to cope.
If you experience another mental health problem, it’s common to also experience depression. This might be because coping with the symptoms of another mental health problem can trigger depression. You may be more likely to experience depression if you also experience:
Poor physical health can increase your risk of experiencing depression. Many health problems can be difficult to manage, and this could affect your mood. These may include:
There are also some physical health problems that can cause depression:
If you think you have any of these health problems, make sure your doctor knows about them. Some can be diagnosed by having blood tests.
If you have treatment for a physical health problem, healthcare professionals may also offer you mental health support.
Researchers have not found a specific gene that causes depression. But research has shown that if you have a close family member with depression, you’re more likely to experience depression yourself.
This might be caused by our biology. But it could also be because we usually learn behaviour and ways of coping from the people around us as we grow up.
It’s likely that our genes, and the environment we grow up in, can both affect whether we develop depression.
Depression can be a side effect of many medicines. The patient information leaflet (PIL) in the packet with your medication can tell you whether depression is a side effect. Or you could ask your doctor or pharmacist about any side effects.
If you think medication is causing your depression, you can talk to your doctor about taking an alternative. This is especially if you’re expecting your treatment to last for a long time.
Alcohol and recreational drugs can both contribute to depression. Some of us may use them to make ourselves feel better or distract ourselves. But they can make us feel worse in the long term.
See our pages on the mental health effects of recreational drugs and alcohol for more information.
Some of us may struggle with sleeping, getting active, or keeping a healthy diet. And if we find these things difficult, it can affect our mood.
These things are unlikely to cause depression on their own. But they could make us more vulnerable to it.
See Mind’s pages on food and mental health and physical activity for more information.
Experiencing depression can be very difficult. But there are steps you can take to help yourself. This page has some ideas:
Some of these ideas may not feel helpful or possible right now. Try a few different things and see which works best for you.
You could also watch this Mind animation about taking care of yourself when you experience depression – including how to look after your day-to-day needs. Our thanks to Mind for allowing us to share this animation.
It might feel hard to talk about how you’re feeling. But many people find that sharing their experiences can help them feel better. Having someone listen and show they care can help in itself.
You might not feel like you can open up to someone close to you. But you could call a helpline to speak to someone confidentially. For example you could call Samaritans any time on 116 123.
Peer support brings together people with shared experiences, to support each other. Many people find it helps them to share ideas about how to stay well, connect with others and feel less alone.
If you’d like to try peer support, you could:
See Mind’s pages on peer support for more information.
Recovery colleges offer courses about mental health and recovery, in a supportive environment. The courses are often designed and delivered by people who have experienced mental health problems.
You can find local recovery colleges on the Mind Recovery Net website.
Mindfulness is a way of giving your full attention to the present moment. Some studies show that practising mindfulness can help to manage depression.
There are also some mindfulness-based therapies that can help treat mental health problems. For example, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is recommended for managing depression.
See Mind’s pages on mindfulness for more information.
Taking time to look after yourself can help with how you feel day-to-day. This could include making sure you eat and drink regularly and take care of basic hygiene. Or trying to get enough sleep, and going outside each day for some fresh air.
If you’re struggling to give yourself this kind of care, it might help to think about how you’d look after someone you care about. For example, a pet or a friend who needs your help.
Experiencing depression can make it hard to find the energy to look after yourself. But taking steps to look after your physical health can make a difference to how you feel:
It may feel difficult to look after your hygiene when you’re experiencing depression. But small things could make a big difference to how you feel. For example, this could be taking a shower, brushing your teeth and getting dressed.
If you don’t feel able to do these things, there may be ways to make them feel easier. For example, you could:
You may also find it helpful to create a hygiene kit where you can keep everything you need in one place. This might include things like a toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, a hairbrush or soap.
Spending time in nature can help with mental health problems like depression. If you’re struggling to leave the house and get outside, opening a window to get some fresh air and sunlight can make a difference.
See this information on nature and mental health for more tips.
Trying something new can help boost your mood. And it can help to break unhelpful ways of thinking or behaving.
For example, this could be starting a new hobby, learning a new skill or trying new food. You could do this by joining a group, like a community project, sports team or a hobby group.
You could also give volunteering a go. This could help to improve your self-esteem and any feelings of loneliness. Your local Volunteer Centre and the charity Do-It can help you find ways to volunteer.
Try to be realistic about what’s possible and avoid putting too much pressure on yourself. Look for an activity you’ll enjoy, or something you’ve always wanted to try. This can help with feeling motivated.
Doing something creative can help with managing depression. It doesn’t matter what activity you choose. Some ideas you could try include:
Keeping a mood diary can help you keep track of any changes in your mood. And it can help you notice if any activities, places or people make you feel better or worse.
There are many free diaries available, including from Bipolar UK and eMoods.
Writing in a journal can help to process your thoughts and express how you’re feeling. This could be on paper, or in a digital journal.
These are some different ideas for keeping a journal:
It might help to put together a box of things that can comfort you when you’re struggling. For example:
This page covers:
If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, it’s a mental health emergency. Seek emergency help.
A self-help resource might be the first treatment option your doctor offers you. This is more likely if your depression is less severe.
These resources can be accessed faster than other treatments. And they could help you feel better without needing to try other options. Your GP might recommend that you try one of the following:
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends the following talking therapies to treat depression:
See this page on types of talking therapy to find out more about these treatments.
Unfortunately, we know that in many places NHS waiting lists for talking therapies can be very long. Your doctor can talk to you about which options are available in your area. And they can help you find the right kind of therapy for you.
In England, you may be able to refer yourself for therapy via the NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression programme. This was previously known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT).
Visit the NHS website’s therapy finder tool to find a therapy service near you, if you want to refer yourself.
If you’re having therapy and start to feel better, this doesn’t mean you have to stop. You can discuss your mood with your therapist and talk about what options might be right for you.
For example, NICE guidelines recommend group CBT or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to help you stay well if you’ve experienced depression in the past. These can help even if you haven’t used talking therapy before.
Your GP may offer you medication to treat your depression, such as antidepressants. This is more likely if the depression you’re experiencing is severe. Or if you’ve tried other treatments but they haven’t helped.
They might offer medication as a treatment on its own. Or they might recommend taking medication as well as having talking therapy.
Mind has information about the different types of antidepressant:
In some cases, your doctor may also prescribe lithium alongside antidepressants. This is most likely if you have severe depression, or your depression keeps coming back. And it is usually when you have tried antidepressants on their own and they aren’t working.
Some of us may also experience psychotic symptoms as part of depression. In this case, your healthcare team may prescribe antipsychotic medication, alongside your depression treatment. See Mind’s pages on antipsychotics for more information.
You may find medication that works for you right away. Or you might need to try out a few types of medication before finding one that works for you. Some of us may find that medication isn’t the right treatment at all. You can speak to your doctor about your different options.
NICE guidelines recommend that you keep taking antidepressants for at least 6 months after an episode of depression ends.
But some of us may choose to continue taking medication for a longer period. For example, we may have had several episodes of depression in the past. So we might want to keep taking medication to prevent future episodes.
If you’re taking medication for depression, it’s important not to stop suddenly. Withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants can be difficult to cope with. And for some medications, stopping suddenly can be dangerous.
If you decide to try coming off your medication, make sure to:
Whether you continue or stop taking antidepressant medication is usually your decision. You normally have the right to refuse a medication or stop taking it. This is true even if your doctor thinks this might make your depression worse.
The situations in which you may not have this right are when:
See these pages on coming off psychiatric medication for more information.
Recent research has looked at using a medicine called esketamine to treat depression. This has focused on depression that has not responded to other treatments.
NICE guidelines do not currently recommend using esketamine to treat depression. Because of this, doctors are unlikely to prescribe it as a treatment for depression on the NHS. But it is available in some private clinics.
There are lots of other treatments that you can try to help with your depression. You might try these on their own, or alongside medication and talking therapies.
These include:
Your doctor may be able to refer you to services offering these treatments. Or you may be able to try some of them yourself.
You can also contact your local Mind to find out whether they have any of these available in your area.
If you’ve already tried a talking therapy or medication, your doctor may discuss some different options with you.
At first, they’re most likely to offer you other types of talking therapy or medication. This is in case you can find something else that works for you.
But in some cases, there are some other treatments that your doctor may discuss with you. These treatments are rarely used. They are usually only offered if you experience severe depression that has not improved with other treatments:
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment that involves sending an electrical current through your brain.
NICE guidelines say that doctors should only offer this in certain, rare situations. For example, if you’re experiencing a long and severe period of depression and other treatments haven’t worked. Or you’re in a life-threatening situation.
If you feel like you’re in this situation, you could discuss ECT with your doctor. They should make sure you have clear and accessible information about ECT, so you understand it before deciding whether to have it.
See Mind’s pages on ECT for more information about this treatment and when it can be performed. And see Mind’s legal pages on consent to treatment and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for information about your legal rights regarding treatment.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment where your brain is stimulated using magnetic fields. NICE guidelines say that doctors can offer this treatment for severe depression, if it hasn’t responded to other treatments.
Neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD) is only performed extremely rarely. Doctors will only offer it if all other treatments have failed. You can never be given neurosurgery without your consent. See this page on NMD for more information.
There are also similar treatments to NMD, which are reversible. For example, deep brain stimulation (DBS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). These can be used to treat severe depression, although they are also both performed very rarely.
This information is for friends and family who want to support someone with depression.
This page covers:
You can’t force anyone to get help for depression if they don’t want it. But you can reassure them that it’s OK to ask for help, and that support is out there.
Helping them with practical things can also make a big difference. For example, looking into what services are available or taking them to appointments. See these pages on helping someone else to seek help for more information.
Lots of people can find it hard to open up and speak about how they’re feeling. Try to be open about depression and difficult emotions.
This will help them know that it’s OK to talk about what they’re experiencing. Speaking honestly and with no judgement can let them know that you’re ready to listen.
It might be hard for them to have the energy to keep up contact. So it can help if you make the effort to keep in touch.
It can even be just a text message or email to let them know that you’re thinking of them. This could make a big difference to how they feel.
Try not to put too much pressure on them to reply. The main thing is that they know you’re there for them.
You might find it hard to understand why someone can’t just ‘snap out’ of depression. This is especially if you haven’t experienced it yourself.
Try not to blame them or put too much pressure on them to get better straight away. They’re probably being very critical and harsh towards themselves already.
If someone’s struggling, you might want to take care of everything for them. And there may be some practical things you can help with, like housework or cooking. But it can also help to encourage them to do things themselves.
Everyone will need different support. You could ask what they might find helpful from you. And you could help them identify things they can try themselves.
Finding ways of simplifying things they’re struggling with can also help. For example, you might help them to set up a regular online grocery shop. Or you could suggest easy meals they could cook in batches and freeze for later.
When someone you know is experiencing depression, it might feel like this becomes the focus of your relationship. But depression is only one aspect of a person’s life.
It can help to keep doing other things together. And talk about things that you usually would. For example, if you normally watch TV together, or share a hobby.
Looking after someone else can put a strain on your wellbeing. Remember that your mental health is important too. Try not to feel guilty about taking time to look after yourself.
This may feel difficult if you spend a lot of time around someone with depression. For example, if you care for them or you live together. You might feel like you need to be there for them all the time, and put their needs ahead of yours.
But it’s okay to set aside time for yourself. And you’ll probably feel more able to support someone if you take care of your own wellbeing.
If you’re caring for someone, Mind’s pages on coping as a carer have information that may help. Carers Trust also has a local service finder for carers’ services that you can search to find support in your area.
Sometimes it might be hard to know the right thing to say to someone experiencing depression.
These are some ideas of supportive things to say:
Try to avoid statements like:
Sometimes, a person experiencing depression may not want to get help, or might not be able to. This may include rejecting any help that you offer.
It’s understandable if you feel frustrated, distressed and powerless about this. If you can, try to accept that there are always limits to what you can do to support another person.
There are some things you can do:
There may be times when your friend or family member needs to seek help more urgently. For example, if they:
Help them call 999 for an ambulance and stay with them, if you can. Or you could help them get to A&E. They may appreciate it if you can wait with them until they can see a doctor.
You can get quick medical advice by contacting NHS 111 England. If you call 111, you can select option 2 to access a 24/7 helpline offering urgent mental health support.
Or you could help them make an emergency GP appointment to see a doctor soon.
You could also suggest that they call Samaritans on 116 123 to talk to someone, 24 hours a day. Or try another helpline or listening service.
It may also help to remove things they could use to harm themselves. This is especially if they’ve mentioned specific things they might use.
Anxiety UK
03444 775 774 (helpline)
07537 416 905 (text)
anxietyuk.org.uk
Advice and support for people living with anxiety.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
0800 58 58 58
thecalmzone.net
Provides a helpline and online chat, as well as information and support, for anyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts.
Cruse Bereavement Support
0808 808 1677
cruse.org.uk
Information and support after a bereavement.
Hub of Hope
hubofhope.co.uk
UK-wide mental health service database. Lets you search for local, national, peer, community, charity, private and NHS mental health support. You can filter results to find specific kinds of support.
Mind
Mind’s helplines provide information and support by phone and email.
Local Minds offer face-to-face services across England and Wales. These services include talking therapies, peer support and advocacy.
Side by Side is Mind’s supportive online community for anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
Positive Minds
023 9282 4795
Offers a unique service for adults in Portsmouth feeling low, worried or hopeless.
The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)
0808 801 0331
support@napac.org.uk
napac.org.uk
Supports adult survivors of any form of childhood abuse. Offers a helpline, email support and local services.
National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
0300 330 0700
nct.org.uk
Information, support and classes for parents.
NHS talking therapies self-referral
nhs.uk/service-search/mental-health/find-an-nhs-talking-therapies-service
Information about local NHS therapy services for certain mental health problems. You can self-refer (England only) but you must be registered with a GP.
Papyrus HOPELINEUK
0800 068 41 41
07860039967 (text)
pat@papyrus-uk.org
papyrus-uk.org
Confidential support for under-35s at risk of suicide and others who are concerned about them. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Samaritans
116 123 (freephone)
jo@samaritans.org
Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS
samaritans.org
Samaritans are open 24/7 for anyone who needs to talk. You can visit some Samaritans branches in person
Sane
0300 304 7000
sane.org.uk
Offers emotional support and information for anyone affected by mental health problems, including a helpline.
Togetherall
togetherall.com
Online mental health community (formerly called Big White Wall). Free in some areas through your GP, employer or university.
Volunteer by Do IT
doit.life/volunteer
Lists UK volunteering opportunities.
Our friendly team at the Portsmouth Mental Health Hub are here to help.
Enter your details and someone will call you back between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health help, please call 111 – the NHS non-emergency number. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is free from any phone. They have specialist mental health nurses who can support adults and young people.
In a life-threatening emergency, always call 999.