How to Explain Your Depression

How to Explain Your Depression

• Mandy Sandhu
• 12 Nov 2024

Depression is a complex mental health disorder that can be hard to discuss with those around you. While proper support is beneficial to recovery, understanding how to explain your depression to someone can be challenging, especially because depression itself isn’t one-size-fits-all. 

Depression can look different in each individual and affect them in varying ways. And while there are often defining symptoms, there are no hard lines or rules.

At Freedom From Addiction, we understand that these conversations can be difficult or even discouraging when you don’t know where to start, which is why we’ve prepared this guide to help you as you navigate how to explain depression to someone in your life. Keep reading as we offer tips and advice below.

The Importance of Communication 

There wouldn’t be a way to discuss depression without communication. Trying to skirt around the subject doesn’t help anyone, so it’s best to speak about depression openly and directly.

Focus on dialogue, in addition to communication. At the root of the word, dialogue means communication between two parties. Talking at someone won’t help. If you can’t have a discussion with someone about your feelings, they’re not the right person to talk to.

It’s important to share your feelings, thoughts, and obstacles with people in your support network to be better understood. If no information is shared, people might not even know you’re having difficulty.

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Honesty and Being Direct 

Depression is a serious mental health disorder that can lead to traumatic outcomes. Because it’s so serious, it should be approached with honesty and directness.

When your happiness, safety, and future are at stake, discuss depression without sugarcoating it. Discuss how it affects you daily, and get into the specifics if possible. If someone isn’t understanding, use metaphors such as:

• It’s like a cloud that never lifts
• It’s like a painted smile
• It’s like watching a comedy and finding no joy
• It’s like a pit

These examples could make an abstract feeling seem more tangible to those who don’t experience depression. You can also take time to address common misconceptions about depression, such as:

• Depression is just sadness
• Depression is a sign of weakness
• Depression will fix itself eventually
• Talking about depression makes it worse

How to Explain Depression to Your Partner

If you need help explaining depression to your partner, use the same steps, but understand it could feel more personal. Discuss how depression has, and will, impact your relationship, so it’s clear how you can proceed as a team. Include them in what’s challenging you, to allow them to support you and help you access any special treatments needed.

Differentiating Depression and Sadness 

When thinking about how to explain your depression, it’s important to make it clear that depression is more than sadness. Sadness is a normal emotional reaction to upsetting eternal stimuli, such as loss, failure, or relationship problems. Sadness is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences at some point of another. It comes and goes, usually without lasting emotional impact.

Depression, on the other hand, is a mood disorder that can occur without external triggers. It has persistent symptoms that alter how the brain functions, affecting a person’s day-to-day physical and mental health and learned skills. It affects a person’s mood, self-perception, motivation, emotional regulation, worldview, and can lead to an increased risk of other concurrent conditions. A depressive episode can last a long time, and is unlikely to go away on its own.

Discussing Depression Symptoms 

Depressive symptoms vary from person to person, so it’s important to clearly outline your specific symptoms with loved ones. This way, they’ll have a better understanding of your mental health conditions and know how they can help you.

Emotional Symptoms Include:

• Hopelessness
• Extreme sadness
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Worthlessness
• Guilt
• Anger
• Burnout
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Loss of enjoyment in activities that used to bring joy
• Suicidal thoughts

Physical Symptoms Include: 

• Excessive sleepiness
• Stomach problems
• Decreased libido
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Changes in appetite
• Sleep disturbances
• Isolation
• Aches and pains
• Loss of energy
• Substance abuse disorder
• Self-harm
• Suicide

Therapy and Counselling Options 

This is an important topic to cover with a loved one, so they can support you in your recovery or healing process and help where they can.

Therapy and Counseling 

Talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), help by discussing depression with a professional and teach someone how to cope with symptoms and triggers.

Medication 

There are medications, such as antidepressants, that a doctor can prescribe to help manage symptoms of depression. These antidepressants alter a person’s brain chemistry to promote serotonin and other mood-boosting chemicals.

Lifestyle Changes 

Lifestyle changes have proven to be effective in managing the symptoms of depression long-term. Incorporating exercise, mindfulness activities, and healthy eating alongside other depression treatment strategies can help improve outcomes.

How Depression Affects Lifestyle and Mental Health 

Because depression can manifest in so many ways, it’s understandable that it has long-term psychological effects which have a major impact on your lifestyle. Explaining depression and its symptoms to friends and family members can help them understand how depressive episodes might alter your personality and behaviour. 

Because one of the symptoms of depression is a loss of enjoyment in things that one might normally enjoy, people might turn to risky behaviour such as drug and alcohol use, unsafe sex practices, or even criminal activity to feel something. In fact, there is a strong connection between depression and a substance use disorder, which requires a concurrent approach.

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How Loved Ones Can Provide Support 

As the loved one on the other end of this conversation, here are three main things to remember when someone opens up about their depression. The key is to recognize that they’re searching for understanding and support.

Be Empathetic and Patient 

Listen without judgment. It’s the right and loving thing to do, and if you don’t, the other person will likely shut down around you. Do what you can to further understand depression by conducting your own research and asking questions.

Offer Practical Support 

Family and friends can offer support by helping with daily tasks a person struggles with, or by attending appointments with them. Ask them what you can do for them, but if they don’t have ideas, notice how depression affects their life, and provide relief in areas you notice a struggle.

Don’t forget to encourage professional help. Depression shouldn’t be left alone. Support loved ones by gently guiding the person toward professional help.

Keep Communication Open 

Whether the person is still taking part in their regular life or they’ve joined a treatment program at a rehabilitation centre, encourage ongoing conversations and check-ins to maintain open lines of communication. Remind them you’re still there to support them and give them a sense of normalcy.

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Creating a Supportive Framework at Freedom From Addiction 

How to explain your depression is a process, and mutual understanding takes time. It’s important to be as resilient as possible on both ends of the discussion and loop in loved ones to help manage depression symptoms. Contact us for immediate, professional treatment programs to support your recovery journey.