Non-Communicable Diseases, Emergency Care and Mental Health Module: 12. When Somebody has Low Mood or Depression

Study Session 12  When Somebody has Low Mood or Depression

Introduction

Depression, a mental illness characterised by low mood (sad mood), is one of the most serious and common mental disorders. In your practice you will see many people with depression: as many as 1 in every 10 adults and possibly 1 in every 30 children that you see on your house-to-house visits may have depression.

It is normally easy to identify people with depression in your community. However, it is important to realise that low mood is also part of a normal human experience, and fortunately in most people low mood does not develop into a serious depression. In this session you will learn about the common presentations of depression, the common causes of depression and what you should do if you suspect depression in a person in your community.