Low Mood and Depression

Everyone has days when their mood drops. When the low mood lasts two weeks or more, the NHS says it could be a sign of depression.

Depression is common, and it responds to treatment. More than one adult in five in England has a common mental health condition. The national survey counts working-age adults.

Sources: NHS: low mood, NHS England: morbidity survey 2023

Low mood or depression?

A low mood often lifts after a few days or weeks, and small changes can help it along. Depression is different because it stays. The NHS describes feeling persistently sad for weeks or months rather than a few days.

It rarely looks like sadness alone. Many people describe feeling flat or empty. Things they used to enjoy stop meaning much, and nothing feels worth the effort.

It shows up in the body too. Sleep changes, appetite changes, constant tiredness and aches with no clear cause are all part of it.

Sources: NHS: low mood, NHS: depression overview

When to seek help

You do not need to be certain it is depression before you talk to someone. You might find it helpful to reach out if you notice:

• Low mood that has lasted two weeks or more
• Losing interest or pleasure in most things
• Sleep, appetite or energy that has changed and stayed changed
• Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty most days
• Struggling to concentrate or make small decisions
• Pulling away from people, or from things you used to do

The NHS advises seeing a GP if you think you may be depressed, and not waiting. A GP can rule out physical causes and talk through options, including medication if that suits you.

Therapy and a GP are not rivals. Many people use both.

We do not assess anyone and we do not diagnose anyone. What we do is help you find a professional who works with what you have described.

Source: NHS: depression overview

How talking therapy helps

NICE publishes a full guideline on treating depression in adults, and it lists talking therapies among the first-line treatments. For less severe depression it lists several, and it says the choice should follow what the person prefers. We built ViaCara on the same idea.

The options NICE names include cognitive behavioural therapy, behavioural activation, counselling, interpersonal therapy and short-term psychodynamic therapy. For more severe depression it recommends a talking therapy, medication, or both together.

The names matter less than the fit. A professional who works with depression helps you see what keeps the low mood in place, and what loosens it. Sessions are usually weekly, and the first one is for finding out whether this is the right person.

You can compare what happens in sessions through these diagrams:

• CBT explores links between thoughts, feelings and actions.
• Interpersonal therapy focuses on a current difficulty in your relationships.
• Psychodynamic therapy explores recurring patterns and their links with earlier experience.

They describe ways of working, not a ranking of what will help you most.

Source: NICE NG222

Depression alongside other things

Depression rarely arrives alone. Anxiety and depression sit together so often that the national survey has a category for the mix. If worry is a large part of your picture, our anxiety page covers it.

If the flatness followed a loss, grief may be the better start. If it followed months of overwork, the line between burnout and depression is harder to draw than most people expect. Our burnout or depression page holds that disagreement open.

If you are autistic or have ADHD, it helps to say so early. A professional who understands that will plan differently, and our autistic burnout page explains why.

Source: NHS England: morbidity survey 2023

Who to look for

Both therapists and counsellors work with depression. Which one suits you depends on how heavy it feels and how you want to work. If medication is part of your plan, that stays with your GP, and a good professional will work alongside it.

If you are struggling to stay safe

Severe depression can include thoughts of self-harm or suicide. If that is where you are tonight, finding a professional is not the first step. Our crisis page lists people you can talk to right now, at any hour.

Source: NHS: depression overview