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Talking about Depression

The famous psychiatrist, Ann Morrison, is giving a seminar on depression to a small group of

students. The audience are invited to share their experiences…


Ann Morrison: As human beings, every one of us faces feelings of depression at some time

in our lives. Depression is a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest which can affect

our daily lives - has anyone ever experienced this?


Speaker 1: Well, sometimes, I feel like I don’t want to wake up because I wake up into a

nightmare of feeling depressed and lonely. It’s hard for anyone else to understand…


Ann Morrison: Anyone who has suffered from depression will tell you that one of the

hardest things about it is feeling isolated. Depression itself is hard enough to manage, but

when you feel like others don’t understand you or even that they’re judging you or looking

down on you, it only makes your feelings more intense, and it makes it more difficult to cope.


Speaker 2: You’ve hit the nail on the head! That’s exactly how I feel every day. The feeling

of isolation is the worst...


Ann Morrison: People grow to feel like they are alone, and this intense feeling of isolation

makes them feel as if no one will ever truly understand them. Sometimes, you can be

surrounded by a lot of people, but you can feel lonelier than when you are by yourself. To

overcome this kind of feeling, you should try to find ways to keep yourself feeling relaxed

and try to stop worrying and overthinking.


Speaker 3: As far as I can understand, to fight the feeling of depression, we must not isolate

ourselves from the others. Being social is the only way we can feel happy and cheerful.


Ann Morrison: Exactly, depression can impair a person's social skills and it makes them

want to be around others less. They often become withdrawn, shy, and even angry.


Speaker 4: I suffer from depression, and I feel quite worried about my behaviour, but I find

it very difficult to change...


Ann Morrison: Well, it takes time to change yourself, but if you are determined, nothing can

stop you. First of all, you need to find ways to take care of yourself and your wellbeing.

Exercise is the best method for improving your overall mood and mental health.


Speaker 5: Thank you for your informative and clear explanations today - it has been a very

useful seminar for us…

Cups of Coffee
Talking about Depression

PHRASAL VERBS

Phrasal verb
Meaning
Example sentence
Categories
To let down someone

To make someone disappointed when you have not fulfilled a promise.

She promised that she would be there but she let me down.

Feelings
To break down

1.  To become very upset.

2.  When something stops working

1.  She broke down when she opened her results.

2.  The lift broke down.

Feelings
To bring somebody/something down

1.  To make someone lose their powerful position.

2. To make something end.

1.  He brought his boss down by exposing personal emails.

2.  The rise in export prices could bring the hospitality industry down.

Feelings
To bottle something up

To refuse to talk about things when someone is worried or upset.

After his father passed away, he bottled his emotions up and wouldn’t talk to anyone.

Feelings
To get something across

To make someone believe or understand something

He tried to get his point across but his manager wouldn’t listen.

Feelings
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