Low Mood - what's the difference between that and depression?

[ShinyMoonInAPurpleSky]

Someone I know has been given a sicknote stating that they are suffering from "low mood". Is that another term for depression or something else entirely. Google seems to just keep confusing the two.

Depends on how long the low mood lasts for.

It might be a Question of whether an individual is COPING or not

Depression is a complex subject. Treatment can be complex too

I never liked the thought of ECG; but they say it worked for some people and left others minus memories.

If someone needs time off work and the GP has written a sick note then they clearly aren't coping.

I'm nto questioning their ability to work just trying to understand the difference, I've not come across that term as a condition before, only as a sympton iykwim.

I would say that it is a low mood that has lasted a certain length of time, doesnt necessarily match all the criteria for full depression (yet) but that the dr is concerned that without a period of rest it could lead to that.

I think they are one and the same thing. I suffered a severe depression last year and was in a psychiatric ward for 3 months and everyone has to have a care plan completed by your "key" nurse on the ward. I noticed that "low mood" was featuring a lot on this care plan and asked why she was not saying I was depressed. She said nurses were not allowed to use the word depression, because they were not qualified to state this, even though the conslt. psych who admitted me diagnosed me with depression!

Shiny moon you are right that low mood is a symptom of depression, and it somehow doesn't sum up the awful feelings of flatness, emptiness, lack of interest in anything, bouts of crying, anxiety etc etc. Many people are scared of their GP putting "depression/anxiety" on their sick note because of the stigma that unfortunately still surrounds MH problems. Maybe this was why the GP put "low mood" rather than depression.

Hi Kizzie - you might be right - sounds logical.