Home > Your health > Conditions & treatments > Mental health > Depression

Related websites

The Lowdown
An interactive website that lets you email, text or instant message for advice. It has information to help young people understand and deal with depression. You can free text 5626 for help.

  • Fact sheets for people to learn more about depression.

Depression website – The Journal
Information and resources (fact sheets) on recognising and understanding depression, including post-natal depression. It’s also the home of The Journal, a self-managed online programme to help you get through depression.

Health and Disability Commissioner
The Health and Disability Commissioner helps ensure that your rights are upheld when you use health and disability services.

  • Getting help – contact details for mental health services in your area

Mental Health Foundation
The Mental Health Foundation provides free information and training, and advocates for policies and services that support people with experience of mental illness.

Likeminds
Like Minds Like Mine aims to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. It has a range of good resources.

Health Navigator
The Health Navigator NZ website helps you find reliable and trustworthy health information and self-help resources.

NALAG (NZ)
The National Association of Loss and Grief, New Zealand/NALAG (NZ) website has resources including listings for counselling services, book and article reviews, links and video.

Depression

Depression is a mental illness where you feel sad and miserable most of the time and your mood is persistently very low.

Being depressed is more than feeling down for a day or two – it usually continues for weeks or months at a time.

Depression can range from being a mild illness, to a severe one – where you can lose interest in life and the things you used to enjoy.

Triggers of depression

Often depression is triggered by a difficult situation or stressful changes in your life. It can build up over many years.

Signs of depression

Some of the signs of depression are:

  • Feeling tired all the time
  • Getting too much sleep or not enough
  • Feeling worthless and helpless
  • Thinking about death a lot
  • Having no energy and feelings of low self-esteem
  • Loss of appetite or overeating.
  • Sadness or emotional ‘numbness’
  • Loss of pleasure in everyday activities
  • Irritability or anxiety
  • Poor concentration
  • Feeling guilty, or crying for no apparent reason.

Managing your depression

There are things you can do yourself to help manage your depression. Here are a few ideas:

  • Do regular exercise
  • Get good quality sleep
  • Understand what triggers depression for you (eg, lack of sleep, too much stress)
  • Join a support group
  • Eat healthily
  • Reduce stress
  • Learn relaxation techniques.

Getting help

Getting help is an important part of managing depression.

Talk to someone:

  • A friend or a family member
  • The Depression Helpline 0800 111 757
  • Your GP, who can advise on the best treatment options for you
  • A member of your local community mental health team (contact them through your local district health board).

Get in touch with counselling services:

  • A school guidance counsellor
  • Relationships services
  • Iwi and other Māori health counselling services
  • Alcohol and drug services
  • Family support services.

Phone a helpline:

  • The Depression Helpline (0800 111 757)
  • Lifeline (0800 543 354)
  • Samaritans (0800 726 666)
  • Youthline (0800 376 633)

Check out useful websites – you’ll see a list on the left-hand side.

Find out more from the Ministry

Resources

Depression: There is a way through it
Depression: There is a way through it (pdf, 595.79 KB)
Available from SPINZ.

veryday People and Mental Illness - cover image.
Everyday People and Mental Illness
Available from HealthEd.

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Page last updated: 15 May 2013