Everyone can feel low sometimes, especially when things are not going well or you are worried about something in particular. When people are feeling low, they often say they are depressed. But what do they actually mean? Is feeling low the same as being depressed?

Is There A Difference Between Feeling Low & Being Depressed?

Feeling low and being depressed are linked, but there is a difference. If you are feeling low, it is usually for a reason such as something stressful in your life like exams or relationship problems. It’s normal to feel like this but these feelings usually pass. However, if you feel like this for a long period of time and it starts to take over your life, you may be depressed.

Depression is a common mental illness. One in six people will have some kind of depression in their lives, with one in twenty experiencing clinical depression. It can affect anyone but appears to affect more women than men, possibly because women are more prepared to talk about how they are feeling and can then be diagnosed.

What Can You Do To Help Yourself When You're Feeling Low?

There are lots of different things you can try to help yourself if you are feeling low:

• Talk to someone you trust about how you are feeling
• Do something you enjoy, especially if it gets you up and active, like going for a walk swimming or football. Young Scot WOW has loads of things you can do in your area, from swimming to singing.
• Have a bit of a pampering session like having a soak in the tub, with your favourite bubble bath
• Get stuck into a good book or a feel-good film
• Make sure you get enough sleep, not always easy if you are feeling low but things can seem worse when we're tired
• Get a bit of exercise and take time to relax 
• Try to eat a healthy diet and eat at regular times.

It can feel like it’s hard to cope at times, but try and get as much support as you can, whether that’s from family, friends, college and work. If you don’t want to talk to someone you know, try calling Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87 (6pm - 2am Monday to Thursday, Friday 6pm to Monday 6am) who are there to listen to you if you are feeling low. It’s a free confidential service.

Why Do People Become Depressed?

It’s normal to feel down if something bad has happened in your life, such as someone dying, but sometimes you cannot get over it and it leads to depression.

Causes of depression include:

• Brain chemistry - chemical imbalance in part of the brain that controls your mood
• Traumatic experiences
• Stress – worrying about exam results, your job, someone in the family being seriously ill
• Significant changes in your family, for example your parents splitting up or your own relationship ending
• Physical health, for example a serious illness that keeps you housebound or something like glandular fever
• Depression running in families
• The way you think and cope with stressful situations
• Drinking too much alcohol, but it is possible that some people drink too much alcohol because they are depressed
• Hormonal causes -  decrease in some hormone levels as a result of a physical change
• If you have already had one episode of depression you have a 50-50 chance of having another one.

What Are The Signs Of Depression?

Here are some of the main ones, not everyone who is depressed experiences all of these:

• Feeling very low for most of the time
• Losing interest in doing activities and getting out and about
• Losing or gaining appetite and weight
• Problems sleeping, generally taking longer to get to sleep and waking up earlier
• Having difficulty coping with school, college or work
• No energy
• Feeling nervous and agitated
• Problems concentrating and making decisions
• Thinking about suicide
• General aches and pains, sometimes bad enough to make you worry that you are seriously ill
• Avoiding other people
• If you are in a sexual relationship, losing interest in having sex

How Do You Treat Depression?

Depression is not a sign of weakness and is not something to be ashamed of. It’s an illness that needs to be treated like any other. The way you treat depression depends on the level of depression you have.

Mild Depression
There are lots of things you can do to help yourself if you have mild depression:

• Exercise
• Talking about your feelings- friends, family, or helpline. Your GP could suggest a local self help group
• Reading self-help materials- Depression Alliance Scotland can suggest books that have been helpful to other people.
• It is unlikely that your doctor will prescribe anti-depressants but if you have a history of depression they may start you on a course

Moderate Depression:
If the various things you can do to help yourself aren’t making you feel better, or you have moderate depression your doctor may suggest:

• Talking therapies- e.g. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Counselling and Problems solving therapy. These involve professionals helping you think about the problems you’re experiencing and working out way of overcoming them
• Anti-depressants- these treat the symptoms of depression but not the cause. Different types of anti-depressants work in different ways but they all work by increasing levels of chemicals called neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemicals have an important effect on the mood.

Severe Depression:
If you have severe depression your doctor could recommend you take a combination of:

• Anti-depressants
• Talking Therapy

Have a look at Happy's Story at the Mental Health Foundation website, where you can read about a young person's experience of depression.

More...

NHS Living Life- A telephone service based on cognitive behavioural therapy. This service is for anyone who is feeling low, or suffering from mild to moderate anxiety or depression. You can call for free on 0800 328 9655 Monday to Friday 1pm to 9pm. When you call for the first time they will book a time with you to explain the service to you and explore what it is you would like help with. Go to the NHS 24 website for more information about what services are offered.

Look Ok...Feel Crap?- If you or someone you know is feeling low then this website is the one for you. It has lots of information to help you understand what's going on, how you can start getting better and how to get help. You can also join their online community. Here you can talk in ther forums, share your story, writing or artwork and set goals for the future.

You can contact Look Ok...Feel Crap? in a number of ways. You can call their helpline on 0845 123 23 20 between 11am-1pm and 2pm and 4pm Monday to Friday or email them on ask@lookokfeelcrap.org.

Look Ok...Feel Crap? have an online chat support group. It will take place monthly. The chat group will provide a safe place online for people who are feeling stressed, low or depressed to talk about their feelings and explore coping mechanisms. Check the Look Ok...Feel Crap? website for an up to date list of topics.