Background

The lifeworld describes the experience of being a humanbeing, how we experience life and how we live our lifes. When a disease, such as depression occurs, the whole lifeworld can be filled with suffering. Depression is an affective disease, which means it involves the emotions. The patient gets dejected and the emotional devotion abates. Broken sleep, anxiety, pain, concentrations difficulties, fatigue and reduced appetite is some of the symptoms. Depression is a disease that increases, especially with women. The gender differences can be explained by biological, social and psychological reasons. Earlier research shows that suffering is central. Depressed women isolate them self from the world and it is hard for them to make people around them to understand. They have suicidal thoughts.

Aim

The aim with the study was to describe women's experience of depression and how the disease affects their daily life.

Method

A content analysis of narratives, with a qualitative approach.

Results

The result shows that women with depression suffer deeply because of their disease. The suffering consists of fear, helplessness, tearing, and feelings of incomprehension, loneliness and suicidal thoughts. The suffering affects the daily life and changes the sick person's whole life world.

Conclusion

Depression is a condition that must be taken just as serious as a somatic disease, because of the enormous and devastating effects it has on the person's life. It also effect the society, because of the large number of suicidal victims and increasing numbers of patients that will seek medical service for help in the future. It is necessary to change the attitude, initiative and readiness to help this people.