Everyone feels a bit low sometimes – it's the mental health equivalent of the common cold. But for some people it’s far more serious; life loses its sparkle and becomes hard work, you feel trapped, unfulfilled and don’t know what to do or where to turn. It’s not something you can “snap out of” and it can leave you feeling tired, lethargic and helpless.

Just like stress there is no definitive ‘tick list’ of symptoms, but common complaints include:

• General feelings of misery accompanied by mood swings
• Slowing down of thought, speech and movement
• Feelings of anxiety and loss of identity
• Tearfulness and inability to enjoy things
• Lack of energy and constant exhaustion
• Feeling forgetful
• Negative thoughts about the future
• Feelings of guilt and self-blame
• Feelings of hopelessness and despair
• Unrealistic sense of failure
• Loneliness, even when around others
• Preoccupation with illness