Depression
Depression involves your body, moods, and thoughts. It can affect the way you eat and sleep, self-esteem, and the way you think about things. Depression is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is also not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be wished away. People with depression cannot merely "snap out of it" and be better. Without proper treatment, depressive symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years.
Psychological treatment of depression via psychotherapy assists the depressed person in two ways. First, supportive counseling helps ease the pain of depression and addresses the feelings of hopelessness that accompany depression. Second, cognitive therapy changes the pessimistic ideas, unrealistic expectations, and overly critical self-evaluations that create depression and sustain it.
Depression is a serious disease; it steals your life away. Many people put up with depression, because they are too depressed to take any action or don’t realize they have it. 80 to 90% of depressions can be treated.
Below is a self test you can take if you think you might have depression. If you have more than half of these symptoms and they have persisted over time, it is worthwhile to seek professional help.
* Suicidal thoughts or impulses. This is a dangerous situation and you must get professional help now.
* Recurring negative thoughts about yourself; low self esteem.
* Ruminating thoughts.
* Feeling hopeless, helpless, inadequate.
* Low mood.
* Low energy, feeling sluggish or that you don’t want to move. Having trouble completing things, procrastination.
* Trouble getting out of bed in the morning.
* Little or no interest in doing things that you previously enjoyed, avoiding people.
* Problems with mental acuity like sharpness of thought and poor memory.
* Trouble making decisions.
* Irritability or anger in excess.
* Change in sleep patterns such as oversleeping or difficulty falling or staying asleep, waking in the early morning and not being able to go back to sleep.
* Changes in your appetite, eating more or less, food seems unappealing or you crave carbohydrates.
* Loss of interest in sex. Loss of pleasure in everyday things. Feeling flat.
* Daily mood change, for example: you always feel worse in the morning and better by evening.
* Family history of depression, other mental or emotional problems or alcoholism – either treated or not.
You are welcome to Contact Me and I will be happy to talk with you or make an appointment for further evaluation.
Treatment
How Does Psychotherapy Help Depression?
Psychotherapy helps people with depression:
* Understand the behaviors, emotions, and ideas that contribute to his or her depression.
* Understand and identify the life problems or events -- like a major illness, a death in the family, a loss of a job or a divorce-- that contribute to their depression and help them understand which aspects of those problems they may be able to solve or improve.
* Regain a sense of control and pleasure in life.
* Learn coping techniques and problem-solving skills.
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