Depression seems to become more and more common. There is less of a taboo regarding the topic now than there used to be. In the past, people would often assume that someone was weak or lacked character if they had depression. This is not the case, it can actually happen to anyone. In the later years, the awareness of depression has therefore grown. People with depression can be more open about it in their environment, but the taboo still exists to some extent. Because taking the step toward a psychologist is often large, there also are other ways to work on your depression. Read more here about symptoms and possible types of treatment for depression.

Depressed test: symptoms of depression

The main symptom of depression is a somber feeling. If you are depressed, you do not just feel sad for a day, but the somber feeling is there for weeks on end. You do not want to do anything anymore and you feel empty and sad. You do not want to get up in the morning and would stay in bed all day if you could. When you are depressed, you hardly do anything anymore and any type of activity feels like too much. If someone then manages to bring you along to do something, you really do not want to and you often do not enjoy it, either. You also worry a lot and cry more often than you used to. You feel empty and have the feeling that nobody understands you. We can consider a depression to be present when 5 or more symptoms of depression are present. Another symptom of depression is that the symptoms of depression may not be caused by the passing of someone or by medication. If this is the case, we cannot consider a depression to be present. There thus is much more at play than only a sad feeling. It often takes a lot of time before somebody gets out of a depression and once again finds their happiness in life. Furthermore, depression is called a mental scar by many psychologists. This means that, once you have had a depression, chances of getting another depression later on are larger.  Therefore it is useful to get help to create new habits in order to be able to cut any future depressions short, too.

Depressed test: treating a depression

15 Minutes 4 Me developed an online self-help program, which guides you in the treatment of your depression. It is based on a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and solution focused systematic therapy, which support you in the creation of new habits. These habits will help you in the treatment of a new depression and reduce chances of future depressions. Treat your depression from home and find your happiness once again!

Depressed test: take the depression test!

If you want to know what chances there are that you have a depression or that others around you might experience symptoms of depression, you can take the free online depression test here!