Is depression the same as low mood?

Depression is when you feel low for a long time, making it difficult for you to carry out your normal day to day activities. Depression can affect you in different ways and can be mild, severe or somewhere in-between.

As well as different levels, there are different types of depression, including:

SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) When depression affects you at certain times of the year.

Dysthymia – This is when you have mild depression continuously for over two years and may also be called chronic depression or persistent depressive disorder.

Bipolar Disorder – This is when you experience extreme lows and extreme highs, also known as manic episodes.

Prenatal depression – This is when depression happens during pregnancy.

PND (Postnatal depression) – This is when depression happens after having a baby. It usually affects the mother, but fathers can experience it also.

How do I know if I’m depressed?

Symptoms of depression can be:

• Prolonged low mood, feeling sad and/or angry
• Lethargy / low energy
• Losing interest or enjoyment in the things you used to enjoy
• Problems concentrating
• Feeling tired more easily
• Lack of confidence / low self-esteem
• Difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than usual
• Changes in eating habits (eating more or less than usual)
• Feeling worthless / guilty / ashamed

How can hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy works on a subconscious level, using techniques to identify and address the root causes of depression while offering positive suggestions to break negative thinking patterns.

Rather than treat the symptoms, hypnotherapy aims to tackle the triggers that lead to your depression so you can untangle them and move forward.