Welcome to another one of my mental health awareness blog posts. This blog is about World Health Day 2017. Basically on the 7th of April 2017, the World Health Organisation campaigns on health conditions. For 2017, the theme for World Health Day is Depression.

Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability Worldwide with more than 300 million people now living with depression.

However, what is depression?

Depression is more than just about feeling down or lacking energy.  Depression is more than just being upset for a few hours even though someone can say that they are depressed.  Depression at its worst levels can certainly be a clinical condition where it can be very difficult to cope and at worst depression can lead to people taking their lives.

Some people think depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition, this is clearly being misinformed.  So the point of World Health Day is to raise awareness and educate others about depression.

Types of Depression

I have done a short video about depression where I mention the different types of depression people can experience.  Please click the video to view it.

As the video explains, There are several types of depression and each can have such difficult problems sufferers have to cope with.

Major Depression.
Persistent Depressive Disorder.
Bipolar Disorder.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD.
Psychotic Depression.
Peripartum (Postpartum) Depression.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).
Situational Depression.

The most important thing about depression is that sufferers need not just cope with depression alone. It is always important to try and seek help and talking is usually the first form of reaching out we can all do.

There are also levels of depression and it is important to talk to those close if you feel you are suffering depression or seek help from a health professional.

Due to increased rates of depression, it is vitally important that we all raise awareness of such a difficult symptom so we can educate others about the condition.

Feel free to check out WHO website for more information about World Health Day.

http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2017/en/

Remember Carers of those suffering depression can be a vital partner and resource in fighting depression, so if suffering depression, it is also important to try open up to close friends and family, at least to those who can understand.

Thanks for reading.