‘I feel a little depressed’. This is a sentence which is heard more and more often. But many people do not know what a depression entails exactly. When can you say that you actually have a depression, and when do you just feel somber? Some people namely use the word depressed when they are feeling a bit down some days. This often has a negative effect on people who actually do have depression. Because other people so often use the word depression, you often hear 'oh well, it will pass' or 'everyone has a bad day every once in a while'. This is something many people do not like to hear, because depression, in most of the cases, does not just pass. Often, professional help is needed to get rid of your depression. This article will describe the symptoms of depression and sum up possible types of treatment for depression. Furthermore, this article contains a depression test, so that you can check if you have a depression.

Depression test? The symptoms of depression

When you are depressed, you feel somber. It is not so that you just feel unhappy for a day or even a week, but rather that you feel like this during an extended period of time. This somber mood overwhelms you completely. You will notice that it is difficult to find joy in anything. People with depression will therefore hardly ever laugh, even if something enjoyable or funny were to happen. You will also notice that you slip into depressed thoughts easily. When you are at work doing something, it can be so that you cannot focus at all because you are constantly thinking about your somber feelings. Depression thus also affects our attention and focus. Because you feel somber a lot, you will notice that you cry almost every day, or at least much more often than you used to. You think of hardly anything else than your somber mood, even though you do want to keep busy. After a while you will also notice that you no longer feel like doing anything. People who are depressed can often even find it difficult to get out of bed. Not because they cannot do it, but because they do not see the use in doing it. If you then ask them as a friend or family member if they want to do anything together with you, the answer often is no.

Depression test? How do I treat depression?

15 Minutes 4 Me developed an online self-help program, which helps you in treating your depression. It only takes fifteen minutes per day, so it is often easier than intensive treatments. Furthermore, you can follow the program from home, so that you do not need to go anywhere.

Depression test? Take the depression test!

Do you sometimes feel depressed or do you wonder if you might be depressed? Then take the free online depression test here, which will tell you your personal scores right after you finish.