Are you ill?

Shashi Kant Jha, psychiatrist

It is important to decide whether you are just sad or whether you are suffering from depression. This is because there is a difference between being sad about losing a close family member for example and being sad as a result of depression.

If you are grieving over a family member that you have lost, you may perhaps be experiencing a reaction of grief and sadness. This does not have the same consequences for your quality of life as depression. Sadness and grief are temporary and not as severe as the illness depression. If you have a reaction of grief which must be treated, the treatment will typically involve supportive discussions.

A serious life event such as a death in the family can lead to depression. Many people believe in such a situation that it is a reaction of grief which just has to be "lived through".

Nothing could be further from the truth. It is therefore important to realise: If you are unhappy for more than "a short period" after such an event, you should contact your doctor to discuss your condition.

Greatest pain

Depression in its most severe form has been described as the greatest pain you could ever suffer. But there are five things that you should know:

• Depression is an illness
• It will not pass over when you "pull yourself together"
• It is not something to be ashamed about
• Depression can and should be treated
• You will recover fully after your treatment

But you cannot cure depression yourself. We must make it clear that you cannot unfortunately either "work your way out" of a depression or simply "pull yourself together" and come out of depression in that way. These are two of the most widespread myths about the illness depression. They are simply untruths and they harm everyone who suffers from depression.