What exactly is depression?

“Sadness”, “low mood”, “frustration”, “upset ” and “feeling blue” are just some of the words that we might use to describe depression. It is normal to feel low mood and upset from time to time; after all, everyone experiences setbacks in their life and encounters hardship and difficult life events.

Given the challenges you face due to a life with PH, you may be more likely to experience difficult events that make you feel sad and upset than people without PH.

Low mood is different from depression, as it can be a healthy and natural response that we need to experience to understand and learn from what we have been through. ‘Clinical’ or ‘major’ depression on the other hand can be more intense, can last much longer (for example, lasting several weeks to months) and it can affect you in your everyday life. In other words, it stops you from living the life that you want.

Depression is often triggered by adverse or difficult life events, and is a more severe form of distress than low mood. It can become a long-term condition in its own right.