Understanding Depression
Depression is a serious illness that affects about
20% of people at some point during their lives.
A depressive illness, sometimes called 'clinical
depression', is different from the kind of sadness
or low mood everyone experiences when things are
going wrong. Depressive illness is not a normal
part of life, and it is not part of the normal range
of human emotions. It is often difficult for people
who have not experienced depression to understand
what it's like to live with this condition.
Most people who have been
through a depressive illness will recall that it
was a disabling, distressing and a painful time
when they felt very different to their normal selves.
After recovering, many feel a great sense of relief
that something awful has passed, and preventing
further episodes becomes an important goal.
