All About Depression and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What Is Depression?  |  Symptoms  |  Causes  |  Therapy

What is Depression?

Depression is a prolonged and deep feeling of sadness and loss which can leave you feeling hopeless about the future.

Statistics suggest that one in two people will experience feelings of depression at some point in their lifetimes.

It is completely normal to feel sad when you experience the loss of a close relative or if a relationship breaks down and because we all experience loss in our own ways, it’s impossible to say what is normal sadness and what is abnormal.

Although depression is often described as an illness or disease in the brain due to chemical imbalances, there is no scientific evidence supporting this model and it remains highly contested.

However, if you are struggling to come to terms with a recent loss, or if you are feeling hopeless then you may experience a long-term level of sadness that could reasonably be described as depression.

Symptoms of Depression

There are a range of symptoms that might indicate that you are depressed including:

• Persistent sadness or a low mood: Feeling sad, empty, or hopeless most of the time.
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities: Losing interest in activities you previously enjoyed, such as hobbies or spending time with friends and family.
• Changes in appetite or weight: Significant changes in appetite or weight, including weight gain or loss.
• Sleep disturbances: Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much.
• Fatigue or loss of energy: Feeling tired or lacking energy, even after a good night’s sleep.
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt: Feeling worthless, helpless, or guilty, often for no apparent reason.
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions: Having trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.
• Physical symptoms: Experiencing unexplained physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, or back pain.
• Thoughts of death or suicide: Having thoughts of death, dying, or suicide, or making plans or attempting suicide.

Moreover, you may have some or even all of these symptoms and many of them might be considered to be normal feelings.

However, when you are depressed they tend to be much more persistent and long lasting in nature.

What Causes Depression?

Depression is linked to various life experiences, most frequently involving some sort of loss or breakdown in relationships.

Be that as it may, everybody responds to these experiences in different ways so they are best described as possible causes rather than definitive causes.

• Losing a close relative or friend
• Getting divorced
• Being ill
• Losing your job
• Being unable to pay your bills
• Early life trauma or abuse

Overall, an important factor to take into consideration is that your interpretation of any of these experiences (what you think they meant) has more today with how you feel than the actual experience itself.

This is because we all make sense of our experiences in subjective, unique ways.

Therapy & Counselling for Depression

We offer a number of different types of therapy and counselling for depression and related problems.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had the problem.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your problem is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for depression on the following links:

• CBT for Depression
• Counselling for Depression
• Pluralistic Therapy for Depression

Although all therapies use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Research suggests that this therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Could Reality Therapy Be Right For You?

Reality Therapy is an approach which argues that your Depression is a product of the way that you think internally and not the result of any kind of biological fault such as the ‘chemical imbalance model’.

It also argues that any past experiences which you may believe are the cause of your depression are no longer happening and cannot, therefore, be causing the way you feel today.

By teaching you how to take responsibility for the way that you feel, Reality Therapy can help you to stop creating the anxiety and stress associated with your feelings of depression as well as significantly improve the sense of control you have over the trajectory of your life going forward.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming depression or recovering from any of your mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular issues and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.