I feel sad
Sadness is a basic human emotion and we all feel unhappy or in a low mood from time to time, especially if we have been upset by something or we’re in pain or we feel disappointed. Sadness will arrive with different levels of intensity but is usually a temporary sensation. But how do you know when sadness has become depression?
You may be depressed if your symptoms begin to significantly impact on your daily life and these symptoms continue for 2 weeks or longer. Symptoms could include:
- a persistent sad, anxious or empty mood
- feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
- feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness
- unable to find pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
- difficulty concentrating, insomnia (waking early or oversleeping)
- loss of appetite and weight loss or the opposite of this
- thought of death or suicide IMPORTANT – if this applies visit our Help resource page here.
If you are concerned that you might be experiencing depression, we would recommend you make an appointment with your GP as soon as possible to discuss your symptoms. When you are feeling depressed, anxious or stressed, it’s easy to forget to tell your GP something important. So, ahead of your appointment, you can visit the site Doc Ready, where you can download a template which guides through what to ask your GP.
