Antidepressants are important, often lifesaving drugs, but there is a cost for their effectiveness. The medications are dispensed with a fact sheet listing a whole host of potential side effects, many of which will probably be experienced at some point.

But sometimes more concerning are the weirder side effects that don't get mentioned in any of the documentation. While these are generally common and known to both patients and doctors, you often don't hear about them until you experience them the first time yourself.

Even before you download an app to help you meditate, or to manage your depression, it's speaking to you. Apps' marketing often implies that everyday stresses should be seen as mental health issues, and that you're on your own (with the help of the app, of course) to fix whatever is wrong with you.

The world can be a pretty terrible place. Even when things are going good, there's always a grim news headline waiting to completely spoil your day. If you're finding that life has lost some of its colour, you probably need to reboot and focus on the things that make you happy. This infographic suggests 37 ways to to tweak your everyday life for a happier existence.

Winter has finally arrived: This morning in Melbourne, the temperature was 6°C. It's cold! For some people, the first freezing winds of winter are doubly depressing — we're closing in on the shortest day of the year (June 21), which means we're not getting a good dose of sunlight and it's too cold to go outside and get some exercise and fresh air.

If you've ever been in the hospital recovering from a surgery, you know the health care providers will ask you to "rate" your pain on a scale of one to ten, so they can administer pain relief if you need it. But assessing mental-health distress doesn't have a simple scale, because mental health isn't as straightforward as physical pain.

Postnatal depression affects one in seven women, but it doesn't always manifest itself as sadness. It's true that many experience sorrow and bouts of crying for reasons they often can't explain, but there's actually a spectrum of symptoms and illnesses that fall under the umbrella of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

The human body is not designed to stay awake for long periods of time. We've evolved a system that works in a rhythm - an internal clock that drives biological processes to work at different times throughout a 24 hour period. Disrupting this rhythm can have stark consequences, but it also may be key in helping to treat depression.

An extremely nasty feature of depression is an overwhelming indifference to the concept of staying alive. Eating is a prerequisite for life, so it makes perverse sense that, for many people, it's among the first victims of a depressive episode.

iOS/Android: The urge to self-harm, the Calm Harm app tells us, is like a wave. It's strongest at the beginning, but if you ride the wave, it will soon be over. Apps are no substitute for a good therapist, but people who struggle with these moments of crisis say the right app really helps.

Over the past decade, hordes of innocent people have bought the idea that the third Monday of January is the most depressing day of the year – despite there being no scientific evidence to support it. While originally conceived by a PR company, mental health professionals have despaired. That’s because, to many people, the Monday blues is a reality.

This may in part be due to the power of self-fulfilling prophecy. When we hold some expectations about an event, people, or ourselves, we start behaving in a way that matches our expectations.

According to all the Instagram pictures of toes stretched out on deck chairs, many people looove the summer. They bask in the bright sun, revel in the heat, and don't especially mind the sand-in-the-bathing-suit/sunscreen-in-your-eye sensations of January; the moment Australia Day weekend rolls into sight, it's constant watermelon, sailboats, and beach barbecues.

There are plenty of self-help books that promise to teach inner fulfilment and happiness. In reality, all you really need to do is follow a single step - and repeat if necessary. This flowchart contains the instructions.

We spend almost half of our waking hours at work (how's that for a depressing thought?) so if your workplace is stressful, or if it's full of bullies and harassers, your mental health can suffer. For World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organisation put this together so your employer knows how they can and why they should keep you mentally healthy.

Dealing with anxiety or depression is challenging enough as it is, but trying to be productive at the same time can feel downright impossible, like swimming against a current. There are some small productivity hacks that can help.

If you're pregnant or have a newborn, you're probably getting a lot of advice! What infant straightjacket is best for swaddling, what "drowsy but awake" looks like, why "sleep regression" might be a term invented just to mess with you. Here's another piece of advice that may or may not make you feel better: Exercise during pregnancy and in the few months after delivery can help ward off postpartum depression. It even reduces depression among women who aren't depressed enough to meet the PPD diagnostic criteria.

A recent study found that sweet snacks were associated with depression in men, but not women. Does sugar have special powers to bum men out? Probably not. Let's dig in.

Dear Lovehacker, My boyfriend has been on anti-depressants for about 6 months and they have improved nearly every aspect of his life. Except for one. They affect his ability to ejaculate.

We still have sex and he says that he enjoys it, but I can't help but feel like it's me. Logically I know it's the medication but it is still beginning to affect my self esteem. Going down this thought path is destructive for our relationship, but I'm not sure what to do. Thanks, L

We've all had moments in which we've felt completely hopeless and helpless. During those moments, you struggle to figure out how to move forward. Sometimes it doesn't seem like there's anything you can do to move forward. When all else fails, try helping someone else.

Awareness events such as World Mental Health Day and RUOK Day are important for initiating conversations about mental health in the community. Anything to promote discussion in the media about what "mental health" means and how to seek help if you need it is certainly a positive thing.

However, reducing stigma is only one component of tackling this issue. With new research showing that Australia’s suicide rate is the highest it’s been for over ten years, it is clear that action must follow awareness. Clearly, a little more conversation and a little more action is needed. Here are some tips that might help.