Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/85232
088: health&wellbeing MELANCHOLY WITH NO MELONS WORDS BY: Dr Kate Perry DEPRESSION IS NOT TRIVIAL... BUT IT IS TREATABLE Living with breast cancer can have a huge impact on your day to day life. It's natural to have days when you feel low or feel unable to cope. When these sorts of feelings persist, and last for weeks rather than days, it's important to take notice and act. It may be that you are experiencing clinical depression. You've probably already heard of the term clinical depression. You may, however, be unsure about what the term actually means. This is not surprising. The word depression is often misused in general conversation, with people using it to describe a wide range of feelings, such as grief, sorrow and sadness. The word depression is also often used to describe times when a person might be feeling down in the dumps or just having a bad day. The misuse of the word is not only confusing but it can make depression seem trivial, when in reality it's a condition that should be taken seriously. To make things even more confusing, clinical depression can be experienced differently by different people, although there are common signs and symptoms. The key signs and symptoms to look out for are feeling sad, down or miserable most of the time or a loss of interest or pleasure in your usual activities for more than two consecutive weeks. Other possible signs include irritability and grumpiness, feelings of restlessness or fatigue, not being able to sleep or sleeping too much, changes in appetite including weight gain or weight loss, feelings of worthlessness, emptiness or loneliness, problems with concentration and making decisions, loss of interest in sex, and thoughts of death or suicide. When considering these possible signs, it's important to keep in mind that the relationship between depression and cancer is complex. For example, some of the possible signs of depression can also be natural reactions to coping with a cancer diagnosis. While other signs of depression, such as fatigue