MENTAL FITTNESS

How to prevent depression?

There appears to be no definite way to prevent clinical depression. However, the following list offers ways to help
elevate your mood, and to stay on top of what may be developing into a clinical episode of depression:
• Take steps to identify and manage stress
• Find strategies that help you increase your resilience
• Work on ways to boost your self-esteem and confidence

Depression
• Develop and nurture friendships and social support networks
• Be aware of the difference between feeling low or sad and entering a clinical depression, and take appropriate
steps if you cannot overcome your low mood (see What is depression?)
• Stick with your treatment plan if you are being treated for depression

What are the signs and symptoms?
The signs and symptoms of depression may be different from one person to the next, especially depending on

which type of depression you are experiencing.
6 General symptoms may include one or more of the following:
• Feelings of sadness, anxiety or emptiness that won’t go away
• Feeling hopeless and/or pessimistic
• Feeling guilty, worthless and/or helpless
• Feeling irritable or frustrated, even over minor issues
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies you once enjoyed, including sex
• Feeling tired or low on energy
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions
• Difficulty falling asleep, early-morning wakefulness, or oversleeping
• Overeating or loss of appetite
• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
• Thoughts of suicide, or even attempting suicide
• Crying spells, for no apparent reason
• Aches and pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that don’t go away, even with treatment
The different types of depression also have different symptoms, including:
• Major or Clinical Depressive Disorder. Along with dysthymic disorder (see below), this is the most common
form of depression.6 Symptoms tend to reduce your ability to perform everyday activities, such as working,
sleeping, studying, eating, and most anything that once gave you pleasure. This disabling condition may occur
only once in your life, but more often recurs over your lifetime.6
• Dysthymic disorder. This condition, also referred to as dysthymia, tends to be less severe than clinical
depression, and may not interfere with your everyday life. It usually lasts for two years or longer, and may lead to
clinical depression.6
• Postpartum depression. This form of depression is diagnosed in new mothers who develop a major
depressive episode within one month of delivering their baby.6
• Psychotic depression. This is the diagnosis when severe clinical depression is accompanied by a break with
reality, hallucinations, delusions, or some other form of psychosis.6
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). A form of depression that usually eases during spring and summer
months, SAD is associated with the lower levels of natural sunlight that Canadians get during the winter
months.