Depression

Depression can make you feel overwhelmed, angry, alone and down. It can also make it harder to do the very things that help to alleviate depression. By developing tools to cope with the symptoms of depression and gaining insight into the underlying causes, you can begin to lift the veil of depression and participate in and more fully enjoy life again.

What is Depression?

Depression is a very common mental health problem. It affects roughly 15,000,000 American adults on a yearly basis. An estimated 2/3 experience symptoms which deeply disrupt their personal lives, relationships, and job performance.

Depression is a mood disorder, which means that it can significantly impact your mood, how you see yourself, and how you understand the world around you. Depression is more than just feeling sad – – it’s a mental health condition that can worsen over time if left untreated.

Virtually everyone has experienced the type of everyday blues that come and go, so they may tend to think that people with depression will just “get over it”. However this is simply not always true. Deep, ongoing depression is associated with an imbalance in brain chemicals, which cannot be restored by “bucking up” or hoping that time will resolve the problem.

Depression can be incredibly debilitating and sometimes very difficult to overcome on your own. Without the right treatment, depression can persist in a person’s life for years and may get worse over time. When it starts to affect your ability to perform daily tasks and to enjoy things that typically bring you happiness, it may be time to seek help. The good news is that with the right help, depression is highly treatable.

Signs and Symptoms

Depression can look different from person to person, but some signs are more common than others. Some potential signs that you might be dealing with depression include:

  • Feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness

  • Self blame and guilt

  • Changes in appetite, weight gain or loss

  • Changes in sleeping patterns, insomnia or sleeping too much

  • Low self-esteem

  • Anger and irritability

  • Relationship or interpersonal issues

  • Decreased energy and/or libido

  • Difficulty concentrating and making decisions

  • Heightened sensitivity to failure or rejection

  • Thoughts of death, suicide, or self harm

You do not have to accept a reduced quality of life. By working with a skilled therapist, you can gain control over your mental health and live a happy and fulfilling life.

How Therapy Can Help With Depression

Working with a counselor or therapist can help you manage and cope with the symptoms of your depression. Diagnosing the disorder early can help in combating and reducing the severity of depressive symptoms. However this does not mean that people with long-term untreated depression should despair. Working with a mental health professional can help people with depression no matter how long they have dealt with it.

Medication can be very useful in treating depression but many studies show that a combination of medication and therapy together are particularly effective. One of the most common types of therapy for depression is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT can help people learn to reconfigure distorted thought patterns and beliefs about themselves, other people, and the world. Understanding how maladaptive thought patterns originated and learning how to change them can have a major impact on a person’s life and mood.

If you’re tired of dealing with depression, consider scheduling an appointment with one of our counselors who can help you manage your depression and live a happier, healthier life. In addition to empowering you with the tools to cope with your mental health, therapy can also help you make healthy positive changes in your relationships and generally increase your quality of life.