As a psychologist, I hear the same thing from my client in the therapy room, in the lunch rooms with other health professionals, and even from my own family and friends about the winter. So many of us are saying the same thing: the dark, cold, and dreary days leave us feeling unusually flat, drained, and unlike ourselves. For some...
We all know sadness. It’s a natural, human response to life’s disappointments, losses, heartbreaks, or even just a run of exhausting days. It feels heavy, but it usually has a story — a reason that makes sense. Depression, however, is something different. It’s not “sadness that won’t go away.” It’s a clinical condition that can reshape how you think, feel,...
As a psychologist, I often meet people who have lived with a quiet, heavy sadness for years without realising it had a name. Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD), formerly known as dysthymia, is a chronic form of depression where low mood lingers most days for at least two years (in adults). While the symptoms are usually less intense than a major...
