Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities and sometimes you may feel as if life isn’t worth living.

There's no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers.

• For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as death, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause. Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.
• Anyone can be impacted by depression, regardless of socio-economic status, race, age or gender, but depression affects certain populations differently. For example, women are more likely to experience depression than men.
• Depression also tends to run in families; if you have an immediate family member with depression, then there are chances of you experiencing depression.
• Depression doesn’t just affect one’s mood; depression increases your risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Teens who experience depression are two times as likely to drop out of high school. Depression and mental illness increase the likelihood that people experience substance abuse and that they become unemployed.

Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include:

• Feeling sad, worthless or guilty, tearfulness, emptiness, hopelessness or depressed mood. Thoughts of death or suicide, fixating on past failures or self-blame
• Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters. Difficulty in thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities once enjoyed
• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
• Loss of energy or increased fatigue, so even small tasks take extra effort
• Changes in appetite — Reduced weight loss or gain, increased cravings for food
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, anxiety, agitation or restlessness
• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements, increase in purposeless physical activity (example, inability to sit still, pacing, hand wringing)
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.

Common signs and symptoms of depression in children and teenagers are similar to those of adults, but there can be some differences:

• In younger children, symptoms of depression may include sadness, irritability, clinginess, worry, aches and pains, refusing to go to school or being underweight.
• In teens, symptoms may include sadness, irritability, feeling negative and worthless, anger, poor performance or poor attendance at school, feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive, using recreational drugs or alcohol, eating or sleeping too much, self-harm, loss of interest in normal activities and avoidance of social interaction.

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, how you act and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home. Talking about depression and reaching out for help is often stigmatized by society, which makes it hard for people battling depression to get the help they need. But probably the most important thing to understand about depression is that it’s highly treatable.

People who suffer from depression often struggle with negative thought patterns. These thought patterns can influence their behavior.

• Counselling, helps an individual identify and change their negative thoughts and behaviors associated with these thoughts.
• The counselling process helps the individual learn more about himself/herself and also acquires new skills.
• Learn more about the particular condition (example - depression, anxiety, eating disorders) by which he/she is affected, so that they can better understand counselling options.

Improved communication and interpersonal skills as well as develop an ability to change self-defeating behaviors or habits.

• Better love for life: Greater self-acceptance, self-esteem and a greater sense of purpose.
• Sharper thinking: Better expression and management of emotions, including anger.
• Improved mental well-being: Relief from depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions.
• Better performance at work: Ability to manage stress effectively, increased confidence and decision-making skills.
• Happier home life: Improved problem-solving and conflict resolution abilities. 
• Healthier lifestyle: Recognition of distorted thinking, better sleep and better memory.

More than just a bout of the blues, depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply ‘snap out’ of it.