DEPRESSION OR UNHAPPINESS[MENTAL HEALTH]

When we are thinking about the difference between depression and unhappiness , there are three things to consider:

1- The severity of low mood: how bad it feels.Do you feel ver upset and in emotional pain a lot of time? Do you find yourself crying or start to think that life is not worth living? The worse theses feelings get, the more it may be sensible to think of how you feel as depression rather than as unhappiness.

2- The persistence of the low mood: is it there all the time, and does it go on and on without letting up? For instance, if you got a new job or made new friends , would you feel better? if not, then again it may be more sensible to think of how you feel as depression.

3- The extent to which it affects you: as depression gets worse , you are likely to have more and more dfifferent symptoms , beyond just low mood- for example, your body and your behaviour are affected, and you find it increasingly difficult to function . We describe the symptoms of depression below, and if you experience more than a few of these , it is more likely that you are suffereing from depression than normal unhappiness.