One in six people will experience depression during their life, and it affects both men and women – about a million Australians each year. It’s not unusual to get help for depression or low mood. No one is immune to mental health issues – we know that some of Australia’s most talented athletes – Ian Thorpe, Leisel Jones, Libby Trickett, Darius Boyd, Dan Hunt, and Lance Franklin have all battled for good mental health.
Even more people experience sub-clinical (or less severe) symptoms which still affect the quality of their life.
Both men and women experience sadness, fear, distress and negative experiences – and both men and women suffer from depression. But depression doesn’t look the same in everyone. For some, they may begin to sleep more than usual to retreat from the world, for others they may begin to turn to food for comfort, binge eat or to alcohol to avoid their feelings. Some people begin to experience anger, and may find themselves becoming easily irritated, whereas others cannot stop the tears.