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Depression: an illness that is treated, not a weakness.
Depression is not a lack of willpower — it is an illness, with its signs, its course and its treatments. At the Espoir Clinic in El Menzah 9, it is treated as an outpatient, in day hospital or as an inpatient, according to what the situation calls for. A caregiver answers at any hour on +216 52 247 043.
Recognising depression
A sadness or a loss of interest that lasts more than two weeks, most of the day, almost every day. Often joined by:
- Sleep that breaks — waking at 4 am, nights that no longer repair anything.
- Appetite that changes, tiredness from the moment of waking, slowness in gestures and thoughts.
- Guilt, the feeling of being a burden, withdrawal from what you used to love.
- The idea that everyone would be better off without you, even fleeting, justifies a call today. In immediate danger, call 190 (SAMU) — and the home page explains what to do until help arrives.
These descriptions help you recognise, not diagnose: only a medical interview can make a diagnosis.
What the clinic offers
- Psychotherapy: structured sessions, cognitive-behavioural therapy, restarting rhythm and activity — treatment is not reduced to a prescription.
- An antidepressant when indicated: decided after examination, reviewed regularly, never imposed.
- Day hospital: the day's care — session, workshops, group — while going home to sleep.
- Admission: when there is a suicidal risk, a refusal to eat, or when nothing moves as an outpatient. Single or double room, nursing presence day and night.
The three ways to be received — consultation, day hospital, voluntary admission — are detailed on the Psychiatry in Tunis page, and the therapies on the home page.
Depression and alcohol, sleeping pills, substances
Depression makes people use — to sleep, to hold on, to stop feeling. And the use keeps the depression going: this is dual diagnosis, the most frequent situation here. Medical withdrawal and the treatment of depression happen under the same roof, in the same stay — treating one without the other exposes to relapse.
For the family
You do not shake someone out of a depression — “pull yourself together” deepens the guilt without touching the illness. What helps: name what you see, suggest one concrete thing — an appointment — and stay close. If they refuse to hear of it, the page They refuse treatment: what can we do? details what helps — and what closes the door.
The questions people don’t dare ask
Does depression require being admitted?
Most often, no: the majority of depressions are treated as an outpatient or in day hospital. Admission is justified when there is a suicidal risk, a refusal to eat, or when nothing moves as an outpatient.
Are antidepressants addictive?
No — they cause neither withdrawal cravings nor compulsion, unlike sleeping pills or alcohol. Stopping them is planned with the doctor, gradually, never overnight.
How long before I feel better?
The first weeks of treatment matter most, and improvement is gradual. The exact pace depends on the person and how long the episode has lasted — it is assessed in consultation, not from a website.
The information on this page is general and does not replace a medical consultation. No treatment, no stopping and no dose change should ever be decided from this site.
The full page: psychiatry in Tunis — conditions, admission, frequent questions.
The other mood disorder: bipolar disorder.