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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Am I really depressed?

    Related Topics
    Depression Mental Health
    I am really confused if I am depressed or if I am just passing through difficult times. I am a foreigner, living here for the last 2.5 years. Just finished my masters degree and I have been applying for jobs for the last month and no one ever got back to me.
    I know I should be going out and talking to people and even talking more to my friends, but I do not really feel like doing anything. It seems that it won't work anyway, so why should I bother doing it?
    Rationally I understand I might be a bit depressed and should do something to keep myself active, but it is really hard. I think about calling my friends, but I never do, cause it would be too much to go through the hassle of getting out and meeting someone. In addition to that, I do not have much money to socialize.
    I thought about looking for a psychologist, but if I start going it will be another expense that I am not willing to take.
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    Savita Ghanshyam

    Psychotherapist

    The first thing that comes to mind is “you are not depressed”, you are simply facing one of the many life's challenges. You may like to get involved in a few hours of volunteer work doing what you studied.  This will keep you active, in touch with your skill and increase your social networking with a possibility of getting paid work.  Reflect on the positive things that occurred in your life. Getting in touch with yourself is a great way to alleviate depressive thoughts. As for jobs, you are not alone in this for there are several people faced with the same job hunting dilemma. A positive attitude is catchy and is a great way to win a person over during a job interview.

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    Dr Janine Clarke

    Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist

    Dr Janine Clarke is a Clinical Psychologist with experience working with individuals and couples. Janine has trained extensively in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and … View Profile

    I'm sorry to hear that things are tough for you right now.  I hope you find this useful.

    You ask whether you are depressed or whether you are just passing through a difficult time.  Most likely, it's a bit of both.  It is not unusual for symptoms of depression (e.g., low mood, low motivation, reduced enjoyment of activities) to appear when life gets stressful or when we experience a personal set-back.  At these times, the symptoms are signs that life is not working well and something needs to change.  This should now be the focus of your energy.

    It sounds like you have already realised (perhaps at a subconcious level) that depression/low mood is really not something that you 'have', but something that you 'do'.  The dilemma with depression is that it often propels people to engage in behaviours that might reduce unpleasant feelings in the short term, but in the long term make depressive symptoms worse.  Avoidance of social situations is a good example of this.  Ultimately, restricting social activities and limiting social interactions has a negative impact on your overall quality of life.

    It can be hard to find the motivation to do things when you are feeling lousy, however, solving personal problems and changing your situation requires you to do something different.  At the moment, socialising with friends is a hassle for you.  But if maintaining connection with your friends is important to you, would you be willing to experience the hassle that taking part in a social event might initially cause?

    I understand that access to psychological services is not always a feasible solution.  However, perhaps you can speak to your GP to see whether you qualify for a Mental Health Care Plan.  If yes, you will be eligible for at least 6 rebateable sessions with a psychologist/clinical psychologist, and there are some practitioners who provide bulk-billing services to people in difficult financial circumstances (i.e., no out-of-pocket expenses).  

    Otherwise, you might like to take a look at some of the very useful online psychotherapy tools that are available, many of which have no cost associated with them.  One such tool is a program called myCompass (www.mycompass.org.au), which has been developed by the Black Dog Institute for people with mild-to-moderate levels of depression, anxiety and stress.  Others can be found at the Commonwealth Government website www.mindhealthconnect.org.au.

    I wish you the best of luck.

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    Margie Ulbrick

    Counsellor

    I am a Melbourne Relationship Counsellor and Family Lawyer who is skilful in helping people get out of the pain of relationship distress and create … View Profile

    I agree entirely with the above comments by Dr Clarke. It may not even matter specifically if you are 'depressed' as such. The label is relevant only in so far as it effects what you do and how you feel about how you feel! There can be obvious overlap between depressive symptoms and low mood. It does sound like you feel pretty disconnected and it is important to do some things to change this, before it becomes a long-term entrenched pattern.

    In addition to the above suggestions, you might like to keep a Gratitude journal. This involves you wrtiing say 3 things each day that you are grateful for. It is a step towards changing your focus from what is not going well to what is. It might be enjoying a sunset or the beginning of Spring. It might be savouring a nice meal, tasting fully and really allowing yourself the experience of enjoying small things. Let the experience linger. Stay focussed on the sunset for a good 30 seconds. Really enjoy that mouthful of food for 30 seceonds. It is about taking in the good, amplifying and enhancing it, rather than skipping over the good and lingering on the negative. If you make this a daily practice you may notice that you start to become curious about what else is going well and you set your radar to look for the good.

    It is normal although unfortunate for employers to not get back to people. This can be disappointing. Life inevitably has disappointments. And that is hard. The question eventually becomes: what is your attitude going to be to inevitable disappointments and how can you get support, how can you best support yourself?

    The most important thing to know is that you matter. Your life matters. Reaching out on this website is a great first step. What will you do for yourself next?

    All the best and take care. 

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