Getting help when you are depressed is the best way to begin your road to recovery. However, most people in the early stages of depression are reluctant to seek help.

There are several reasons for this:

• Fear of the stigma and discrimination that can result from being diagnosed with a “mental illness”
• Believing that admitting to having depression means admitting to personal failure
• Concern about being forced to take “happy pills”
• Worry about how people around you will react
• Lack of awareness that your symptoms (e.g., fatigue and disrupted sleep) are an indication of depression

Letting these concerns stand in the way of asking for help often means having to put up with your symptoms for much longer than would otherwise be the case. 

Getting the right help is vital. Read more about how to choose between NHS or private rehab here.

Support, Stigma and Stats

In many cases, it can also result in your depression becoming so severe that you require long-term support and risk losing your employment, relationships and housing.

Although stigma and discrimination are very real, most people’s depression is a confidential matter between themselves and their doctor. 

You would only need to publicly disclose your depression if you needed sick leave or to claim benefits.

Even then, you may be able to limit the number of people that you have to disclose your condition to.

Key stats about depression in the UK.

The other concerns that most people express are largely illusory. The modern approach to mild-moderate depression is much more likely to involve talking therapies, counselling and a range of early-interventions than antidepressants.

Symptoms of depression.

Some 80-90% of people with depression are treated entirely in primary care, and never need to see a psychiatrist or other mental health specialist.

Nor is support solely about medical treatment.  If you have a supportive network of family and friends around you, recovery will be much quicker than if you try to struggle on your own.