YorkTest > Allergy or Intolerance? > Symptoms of Depression?

Everyone experiences ups and downs depending on what is happening with their lives. Feeling low or sad is a normal reaction to experiences that are upsetting. However, such feelings will usually pass. If, on the other hand, someone feels very low, day after day, week after week, and these feelings dominate their whole life, then they can become depressed. Depression is common, and about 15% of people will have a severe bout at some point in their lives. Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men. Depression is a serious illness and the exact number of people with depression is hard to estimate because many people do not get help, some may have mild symptoms, or are not formally diagnosed with the condition. Depression can affect people of any age, including children. Studies have shown that 2% of teenagers in the UK are affected by depression. People with a family history of depression are more likely to experience depression themselves. Depression affects people in many different ways and can cause a wide variety of physical, psychological and social symptoms.

 

Many people seek to take control of their mental health using self-help, and to find approaches they can use alongside, or even instead of, prescribed medication. One self-help strategy is to make changes to what we eat, and there is a growing interest in how food and nutrition can affect emotional and mental health. It will come as no surprise to hear that what we eat can have a big impact on how we feel, mentally as well as physically. While depression is not caused by just one factor, eating well is a positive step in the right direction, and eliminating foods from the diet that the body has a reaction against is one way of boosting energy levels and improving mood.