In the video below, Craig shares his experience of carer’s guilt and the impact of being a carer on his mental health.
Depression
Depression is a common problem for carers. Not all carers will experience depression. It is a good idea to look out for the signs though. Taking care of yourself, as we have discussed within this topic, may help to prevent depression.
Signs of depression include:
- Feeling tired all the time (when you may have had a good sleep)
- Loss of interest in doing things you would normally enjoy
- Loss of interest in catching up with friends and family
- A change in sleep patterns (sleeping too much or not being able to sleep)
- A change in how hungry you feel (eating too much or not enough)
- Feeling overly irritable or becoming easily angry
- Thoughts of hurting yourself
If you have read this information and identified with more than one of these signs, you may want to talk with someone further about it. Please talk to your GP OR Phone Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 OR go to the Lifeline link here for more options .
Anxiety
People can experience anxiety and depression at the same time. Anxiety can be an overwhelming feeling that affects the way we think. It can make us think we can’t cope.
Signs of anxiety include:
- Feeling restless
- Feeling on edge
- Feeling short of breath
- Feeling like your heart is beating too fast
- Feeling overly irritable or becoming easily angry
- Difficulty falling asleep or waking in the night with racing (over and over) thoughts
- Having worrying thoughts that won’t go away
- Tension in the back or tension headaches
- Upset stomach or nausea or diarrhea
- Teeth grinding or clenching
- Muscle tension
If you have read this information and identified with more than one of these signs, you may want to talk with someone further about it. Please talk to your GP OR Phone Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
Main Message Revisited
Depression affects more than one million people living in Australia each year.
Depression and anxiety can be even more common for carers.
If you have identified with more than one of the signs of depression or anxiety we suggest that you talk further about it to someone. You may choose to:
- Talk to your GP
- Phone Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14
- Visit the Lifeline page here for more options
- Visit the Carer Gateway Mental Health and Wellbeing page here .
You are not alone in feeling depressed, anxious or stressed. There is plenty of support information or people to contact listed on the Helpful Links page too.