By Imaani Aslam

We will all have moments in our life when we feel a bit down, miserable or in a bit of a mood. It is natural to feel some sort of sadness when we experience disappointments in our everyday life. However, The World Health Organisation estimates that 121 million people worldwide are suffering from ‘Depression’ – the illness.[1]

The difference between feeling a little low and suffering from a depressive illness is that these low feelings can last for weeks or months and seriously interfere with a persons life. There are different types of depressive illnesses; depression in its mildest form can make everything seem a struggle or pointless, but depression in its most severe form can be life-threatening as it can make a person simply give up the will to live.

Contrary to popular belief, a person suffering from depression can’t just ‘snap out of it’ or ‘pull themselves together’. It is important to understand that depression isn’t just a state of mind – it is clear that there are definite changes in the way the brain works when a person is depressed. (Read More…)