“[Depression] causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.”
American Psychiatric Association
Actions For Now
Steps (& Apps) to Reduce Symptoms
- Depression Screening: Determine whether you might be dealing with a depressive disorder with this screening from Mental Health America
- Understanding and Changing Self-Defeating Beliefs: An online program that focuses on understanding and analyzing self-defeating thoughts
- Emotion Explorer: Get to the bottom of how you’re feeling, how it’s affecting you, and what you can do to soothe yourself with this interactive website
- Positive Thinking/Affirmations Meditation: Engage in positive thinking with this 10 minute meditation
- ImAlive: A chatroom for those in crisis
- “Mood Boosters for the 5 Senses”: Try out these everyday sights, smells, and sensations that can boost your mood.
- “Gratitude Visits For Lowering Depression”: An everyday positive psychology strategy for relieving symptoms of depression.
- Automatic Negative Thoughts Education And Exercise: Identify negative ways of thinking and fight against them
- It’s always good to have a safety plan, in case of a crisis. You can create one easily with tools like this
- The Science of Wellbeing: Enroll in Yale’s most popular course, designed to help you increase your own happiness over a 10-week period
Apps
- MoodTools: This app offers psychoeducation about depression, a thought diary, and a suicide safety plan
- Find ME: Design a personal map of places that make you happy
- Headspace: Increase your sense of wellness with 10 minute daily meditations
- ACT Coach: Learn to tolerate and improve your awareness of negative thoughts
- Happify: This app offers games and activities designed to put you in a good mood
- Depression CBT Self-Help Guide: This app offers psychoeducation on depression and ideas for soothing it by using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- SuperBetter: Play games that strengthen your emotional resiliency
- notOK: Receive immediate support from your friends, family, or peer network
For Allies
Give the Best Support Possible
- “Helping Someone With Depression”: Learn what signs to look out for, how to support a loved one coping with depression, and how to maintain your own emotional health
- “Read This Before You Help Your Friend With Depression”: Important things to consider while supporting a loved one with a mood disorder
- “Support for Families”: Strategies for families when one or more members are coping with mental health issues.
- “How to Help Someone In Crisis”: Tips for aiding a loved one during a mental health crisis
- “How You Can Help Someone Who Is Depressed”: What you can do (and what to avoid doing) to support a loved one
- “It’s Time to Talk About Suicide in LGBTQ Communities”: Discusses the disproportionately high rates of suicide in the LGBTQ community
- “How You Can Support a Partner Who’s Struggling with their Mental Health”: Kristin Dart, LICSW, offers tips for those unsure how to best support their significant other during tough psychological times.
- “Warning Signs” of Suicide: Worried about a loved one? Get informed about the warning signs of suicide.
You’re Not Alone
Connect with Others, Hear their Stories & Access Playlists
Stories
- Check In With Me: Having a rough day and looking for support? This community from The Mighty has you covered.
- “What Better Feels Like”: A series of interviews with individuals living with mood disorders.
- “5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Diagnosed”: A reflection on being diagnosed with bipolar disorder
- The Bipolar Family Podcast: Podcasts on the subject of bipolar disorder, including “Racing and Compulsive Thoughts” and “Perfectionism.”
- “20 Stories of Depression And Suicide And Living Our Lives”: Buzzfeed readers shared their experiences with mood disorders and suicidality, demonstrating that those who suffer are not alone
- “My Happy/Sad Mummy”: A video by the author of a children’s book about parenting with bipolar disorder
- “Five Must-Watch TED Talks for Mental Health”: Six talks from renowned psychologists and individuals coping with mental health issues. They include “Depression, the Secret We Share,” “The New Era of Positive Psychology,” “The Power of Vulnerability,” “What’s Funny About Mental Illness?”, and “Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid”).
- “Seasonal Affective Disorder”: The writer describes her slow discovery that she was coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder
- “Moms Share Their Postpartum Depression Stories”: Several women discuss how they were affected by Postpartum depression and how they managed to cope with it
- “Depression Defined”: A poem from Alise Leslie, author of the blog “In My Mental Mind: a black girl’s journey through mental illness”
Tune In
Check out our Spotify playlist for Depression here
- “Fire and Rain,” James Taylor
- “Turn Blue,” The Black Keys
- “Dear Prudence,” The Beatles
- “i,” Kendrick Lamar
- “The Only Living Boy in New York,” Simon & Garfunkel
- “A Better Son/Daughter,” Rilo Kiley
- “Fix You,” Coldplay
- “La Camisa Negra,” Juanes
- “Every Night,” Paul McCartney
- “Eet,” Regina Spektor
- “Don’t Vote,” Cass McCombs
- “Don’t Stop,” Fleetwood Mac
- “Dancing On My Own,” Robyn
- “Move Along,” All American Rejects
- “This is a Low,” Blur
- “Comfortably Numb,” Pink Floyd
- “Strawberry Fields Forever,” The Beatles
- “Today is Your Day,” Shania Twain
- “Rainbow,” Kesha
- “I Feel Like That,” Kanye West
- “I Will Survive,” Gloria Gaynor
- “Everybody Hurts,” REM
- “If Only,” Queens of the Stone Age
- “Loser,” Beck
- “fake smile,” Ariana Grande
- “Should Have Known Better,” Sufjan Stevens
- “I Won’t Back Down,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- “Creep,” Radiohead
- “Dark Times,” The Weeknd
- “Now is the Start,” Fine Frenzy
- “Lost Cause,” Beck
- “Beautiful Day,” U2
- “Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac
- “Across the Universe,” The Beatles
- “Where Do I Go?” Hair
- “All Things Must Pass,” George Harrison
- “get well soon,” Ariana Grande
Master The Subject
Learn How it Works & The Science Behind It
- Crash Course Psychology, “Depression and Mood Disorders”: A basic intro video to depression and other mood disorders.
- Johns Hopkins Medicine’s “Overview of Mood Disorders”: An overview of the different types and symptoms of mood disorders
- 10 Things Depression Makes Us Do: This video illustrates common symptoms of depression
- 10 Signs of Bipolar Disorder: An infographic detailing common symptoms and signs of bipolar disorder.
- “PET Scan Of The Brain For Depression”: Observe the differences in the brains of people with and without depression to get an idea of how depressive disorders alter your mind
- “Six Signs That You Might Be Mildly Or Moderately Depressed”: Helpful tools for self-evaluation
- “Maternity Monday: The Reality of Postpartum Depression”: This blog post defines postpartum depression and offers advice for supporting yourself and/or loved ones
- The Science of Wellbeing: Enroll in Yale’s most popular course, designed to help you increase your own happiness over a 10-week period
- “3 Signs Your Mental Health is Interfering With Your Work”: Melanie Shapiro, LICSW, details ways in which chronic mental health concerns can derail your professional goals and offers advice for coping
- Physical Symptoms of Mental Health Disorders: Learn how mental illnesses like depression can affect your physical health, and methods for resolving those issues
- “Depression and Social Security Disability”: How to apply for social security benefits for mood disorders.
- “Can Positive Thinking Really Increase Happiness?”: A blog reviewing the effects of positive framing on those dealing with low mood and/or depression.
- “Feeling SAD?”: Information on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and strategies for coping with it.
Advocate
Connect to the Larger Movement
- Right Direction: An initiative designed to give employers the tools to deal with depression in the workplace
- Students Against Depression: A website by students, for students, offering resources and information to those affected by low mood and suicidal thinking.
- Athletes Against Anxiety and Depression: This nonprofit is dedicated to bringing awareness, prevention, and treatment to those suffering from mental health issues, and to reduce the stigma around them.
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: A peer-directed national organization focusing on depression and bipolar disorder.
- Postpartum Support: Education and resources for parents suffering from postpartum depression
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America: This nonprofit is a leader in research, education, and training for mental health disorders