WHAT IS DEPRESSION?

 Like a dark cloud hanging over everything, depression dulls your interests, neutralises your pleasure, often attracting uncharacteristic black moods, filled with feelings of guilt, isolation, helplessness and low self-worth. Depression is different to feeling sad or despondent in response to a difficult situation - these feelings are natural, need to be processed and diminish over time.

 Depression sticks.

 At its mildest, it is just being in low spirits. It doesn’t prevent you from leading your normal life, but it does make everything seem less worthwhile and more of an effort. At its most severe, it can be all-consuming and debilitating, completely preventing you from being yourself and making you lose the will to live,

CAUSES

There is no one universal cause. Possible triggers for depression may come from childhood experience, loss of a relationship, physical health problems, a death, medication, life events or genetic inheritance. But people can often experience depression without really understanding why. They look to attach feelings to a specific event or experience, but cannot.

SYMPTOMS

 Depression is different for each person, but common symptoms include:

Consistently feeling down, sad or hopeless

·    Having little interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy

·    Feeling restless or lacking in energy

·    Feelings of emptiness and loneliness

·    Sleep disturbance

·    Self-harm

·    Thinking about death

·    Being overwhelmed by small things

·    Emotional. Prone to crying

·    Agitation and irritability.

·    Being prone to anger or anxiousness

·    Reduced sex-drive

·    Apathy. Tired and not wanting to get out of bed.

·    Weight gain or loss

CAN COUNSELLING THERAPY HELP?

 Yes. Depression often creeps up over a period of time. It is rarely something you can just “snap out of”, neither is it an unfortunate permanent character trait or weakness. It is something to be recognised and tackled professionally, but only ever at your own pace. In extreme and severe cases, antidepressant medications may helpful for reducing symptoms. But they are not an answer in themselves and can only be really effective in conjunction with counselling, the benefits of which should continue to protect you against symptoms returning even after medical treatment has ended.  

WHAT WOULD COUNSELLING THERAPY FOCUS ON?

  ·     Pinpoint life events that might contribute to your depression and help you find ways to change, adapt or accept

·       Set realistic goals for the future

·       Identify distorted and negative thought patterns/unhelpful behaviours

·       Develop the ability to identify and manage symptoms; to weaken the hold they have on you and put you more in control

·       Explore how to improve relationships and being able to express yourself in a more communicative way.