What Depression Symptoms Does Depression.com.au Explain?

Depression.com.au describes depression as a common illness that affects around 20% of Australians, and it lists a set of symptoms you can check against your own experience: depression itself, anxiety, crying, feeling tired, not coping, and poor concentration. The site frames these as signs of an illness rather than a personal failing, and it says that while mild illness may settle with your own efforts, more severe illness is something you have little or no ability to fight without professional help and medication.

The symptoms the site names

The page groups its symptom list into a short, plain-language set:

• Depression — the core condition the site is built around.
• Anxiety — described alongside depression, with stress leading to anxiety or worrying and then to depression.
• Crying — crying easily is given as a signal to watch for.
• Feeling tired — feeling very tired is listed as a possible sign.
• Not coping — a sense of being unable to manage.
• Poor concentration — difficulty concentrating.

How those symptoms show up day to day

Depression.com.au turns the list into concrete, everyday observations rather than clinical labels. According to the site, you may have depression if you:

• Have trouble with concentration when you are reading or watching TV.
• Are crying easily.
• Feel very tired.

These are the kind of moments a person might notice before they ever put a name to what is happening, which is part of why the site calls depression "a secret but very common illness."

Why the site calls it an illness, not weakness

A central point on the page is that depression is not a sign of weakness. The site compares it to diabetes or asthma — an illness due to a build-up of pressures that can happen to anyone. It notes that many famous and successful Australians have this illness, and it explicitly tells readers not to feel worthless or guilty.

This framing matters for how you read the symptom list: the symptoms are presented as evidence of a treatable condition, not as character flaws.

What can trigger it

The site says stress can lead to anxiety and worrying, and then to depression. It also notes that stress, viruses, and childbirth can trigger the illness in people who never had it previously. In other words, you do not need a history of depression for these symptoms to appear.

What the site suggests you do

The page's practical advice is to get help from your GP before the illness "digs in," and it notes that the psychologists on the site can assist with assessment, counselling, and choosing the best therapy. A note from Dr David Horgan states that depression can be totally wiped out, and that it will pass — while also disclosing that Dr Horgan has retired and is no longer on the register of medical practitioners.

If the symptoms above match what you or someone you support is experiencing, the site's own recommendation is to treat that as a reason to seek professional assessment rather than to wait.