Not too long ago, there existed a rigid stigma associated with mental illness and disorders related to the mind. However, thanks to mental health awareness becoming more widespread than ever before in recent years, language related to mental health has seeped into our daily conversations without our even realizing it. While this is a huge improvement from the ignorant indifference of the past, this new way of relating to mental health isn’t without its drawbacks. For example, when we mean to say someone is extremely organized, we often end up saying things like “she’s so OCD about her things” or “I feel depressed” when what we really mean is we are feeling unhappy at a particular moment.

How we use language is extremely important because we use it to communicate ideas and feelings about things, and if we’re not careful, we could be sending out the wrong signals. For instance, there is a common misconception that feeling low constitutes depression. While one of the main symptoms of depression is low mood, it is by no means the only one. In addition to this, one would also need to take into account the severity and duration. Depression is a mental illness that should not be taken lightly. Let’s try to understand it a bit better.

Depression is a mental health challenge that falls under the category of mood disorders, where a disturbance in mood and an individual’s emotional state is affected being the primary feature. According to DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), in order to diagnose someone with depression, there are five or more of the following symptoms that an individual should be experiencing over a 2-week period with at least one of the symptoms being depressed mood or loss of interest in pleasurable activities:

• Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day.
• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.
• Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
• Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.
• A slowing down of thought and a reduction of physical movement (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.
• Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

To receive a diagnosis of depression, these symptoms must cause the individual clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. The symptoms must also not be a result of substance abuse or another medical condition.

Each of us experience being in low spirits from time to time. It could be due to a variety of situations and problems ranging from a stressful week, relationship issues, work problems, financial difficulties, to the loss of a loved one or adjustment to a new place. If your spirits lift after a few days or weeks by itself or after the problem which has been plaguing you gets resolved, then this is completely normal and nothing to worry about. Depression on the other hand impairs your functioning over several weeks and leaves you feeling hopeless and exhausted.

The good news is depression is extremely treatable with therapy, medication and various practices you can do yourself. The first step is recognizing whether that low mood is just a bad day or something more. If this article has hit close to home and you or someone you know are experiencing the symptoms mentioned above, please know you don’t have to go through it alone. Help is accessible. Reach out to a counsellor for confidential and compassionate help.