Counselling for Depression
Depression
Depression can have a profound and lasting impact on a person's wellbeing. Fortunately, there is a growing awareness of depression among Australians with more people opening up about their struggles. As a result, more people are recognising the symptoms of depression in their own lives and seeking help from therapists.
Depression can manifest in different ways, ranging from mild cases to more severe ones. If you are experiencing depression, you may relate to the feeling of being trapped in sadness, unable to imagine ever feeling happy again. Psychologists and counsellors often describe it as a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, where the future seems bleak and out of one's control. For some, insomnia or excessive sleep can become a challenge, making it difficult to start the day without any help.
Depression can cause a range of other symptoms such as loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities, changes in appetite and weight, feelings of worthlessness, and in extreme cases, an inability to function in daily life, including going to school, work or taking care of oneself.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to identify in others as people often keep their struggles to themselves and not to burden others. However, it's essential to know that you don't have to suffer alone, and help is available. Many forms of counselling therapy, such as those provided by a trained psychologist or counsellor, can provide evidence-based clinical interventions to treat depression. If you are suffering from depression, it's crucial to speak up and get help. We believe everyone deserves a chance of a more fulfilling future and there is no need to suffer in silence.
Depression: Potential Causes
Depression is often rooted in several factors, often intertwining with each other. It may be genetically inherited, or it could stem from a chemical imbalance in the brain's mood-regulating neurotransmitters. Certain personality characteristics, such as chronic worrying and perfectionism, can also increase the risk of depression. Situational depression often arises from external events like a medical diagnosis, a relationship breakup, or workplace stress. Perinatal depression occurs during pregnancy and following childbirth, while seasonal affective disorder may manifest during the colder months. Yet, experiencing depression without a discernible cause is just as common, and can be even harder to articulate.
Sudden Feelings of Depression
Depression can strike even when life seems picture-perfect — a rewarding job, loving relationships, a content family life. Yet, it can still darken our perspective and dampen our mood. People living with this type of depression often become self-critical, erroneously assuming they are flawed or damaged because their life appears perfect, but something internally feels awry. It can be challenging to express these feelings to others, as responses often echo, "What have you got to be depressed about?" This dismissive reaction can lead to feelings of guilt, embarrassment, or shame, increasing isolation and exacerbating the depressive episode.
The Impacts of Depression
Depression's shadow can affect your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in profound ways. If it persists, a depressive episode can also disrupt your personal and professional life. Depression can disrupt your self-perception, your drive, and your relationships. The weight of depression often manifests as life losing its joy and meaning, even when there's no identifiable reason for feeling that way. If you've been feeling stressed, emotionally numb, or overwhelmed for more than a couple of weeks, you might be wrestling with depression and may need to seek help.
The Mental and Emotional Impacts
Depression manifests through various mental and emotional symptoms, such as feeling stressed and overwhelmed, losing interest in everyday activities, having difficulty making decisions, experiencing impaired concentration and memory, and feeling disconnected. More severe symptoms of depression include incessant negative thoughts (rumination), increased irritability, harsh self-criticism, feelings of despair, hopelessness or worthlessness, intense sadness and crying, and recurring thoughts of death, suicide, or self-harm.
The Physical and Behavioural Impacts
Depression can also present physical and behavioural symptoms such as insomnia or excessive sleeping (hypersomnia), fatigue despite sufficient sleep, changes in appetite and eating habits, increased consumption of alcohol, nicotine, or other drugs, withdrawal from social interactions, reduced libido, and feelings of pervasive sadness or low mood.
The Treatments for Depression
Depression is common, and importantly, treatable. Symptoms may vary across individuals, but all forms — from mild to severe — can be effectively managed with targeted strategies. Depression responds particularly well to counselling treatment. Studies demonstrate that coupling counselling with physical exercise, a balanced diet, and good sleep can dramatically enhance wellbeing and alleviate depressive symptoms. Counselling aims to address the root causes of depression, equipping you with strategies to regulate your mood and manage stress. An experienced therapist can help you turn your mind into an ally, not an adversary. Effective counselling also paves the way for long-term recovery and relapse prevention. Extensive clinical research suggests that counselling is a more effective treatment for depression than medication alone, and as effective as a combination of medication and counselling. Evidence-based interventions include Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.
Remember that help is available for the treatment of depression. Get in touch with us to see how we can help you, and to better understand your circumstance. Practitioners at The Greater Mind is trained in a wide range of therapy to treat depression.
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