People may often take this for granted, thinking depression is just a sad feeling or a depressed mood but it is more than that. Depression is a more serious condition that affects people differently. While there may be similar symptoms it shapes very different in people’s lives but one common factor is a loss of enjoyment in life coupled with a loss of hope or ‘spark’. This is often accompanied by some level of anxiety or anger. Depression can sneak up on unnoticed leading to long-term low grade depression. It usually builds up over a long period of time though it may be triggered by stress, relationship problems, grief or knockbacks.
Depression can hit anyone and anytime: men, women, old, young, married, single, rich, poor, anyone! How to determine if someone is depress or you might be depress if:
- An unusually sad mood that does not go away
- Loss of enjoyment and interest in activities that use to be enjoyable
- Loneliness or loss of connection
- Sadness and tearfulness
- Lack of energy, and tiredness. Physically tired, dull, heavy, or slow
- Loss of confidence in self and poor self-esteem
- Loss of interest and pleasure in life
- Loss of meaning and hopelessness
- Feeling guilty when you are not really at fault or overwhelming feelings of guilt and worthlessness
- Wishing you were dead and/or thinking about harming yourself or suicide
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions. Foggy thinking or poor concentration
- Moving more slowly or alternatively becoming agitated and unable to settle
- Having difficulty sleeping or alternatively sleeping too much Changes in sleep patterns
- Loss of interest in food or alternatively eating too much. Weight gain or loss
- Anxiety or anger
- Decreased sexual drive
- headaches, stomach upsets or chronic pain or unexplained body pains
Like many other illness depressions can be cured, you may think that you are going crazy but you are not, depression is caused by hormonal imbalance. Counselling is effective in treating mild to moderate depression. In more severe cases medication is combined with counseling. Severe cases are also called clinical depression.
Understanding the condition is the first step to manage depression. Next is by talking to friends and family or specialist agencies can help. Counseling can help address low self-esteem, or relationship issues or persistent negative thinking.
Exercise is increasingly recommended to help combat the effects of depression.
There are many different choices available if you want counseling. You can access a private counselor or psychologist with no referral. Many are listed in the phone books or you can search for them on-line.
You need not to worry because counselors are professionals they will listen to you without judging. They will ask you how are you feeling, discussing with you issues in your life that may be affecting your mental health and well-being, helping you to identify and change unhelpful thought patterns, and offering you practical strategies to help manage the depression. Depression will make you feel hopeless and you may find speaking with a counselor helpful in this process.
Depression is generally responsive to therapy. Severe depression accompanied by such things as anxiety, anger, relationship issues or past trauma can also be cured. Therapy can help in many ways including:
- Working with a professional who has a deep understanding of depression
- Understand the underlying biological, relational, emotional and thinking causes and patterns of depression
- Making sense of whatever is currently going on in your life
- Addressing issues from the past
- Coming to terms with what you have been through
- Practical help in making constructive change
- A therapist who will treat you like a human being not like a number
- Ongoing support to help you get through at your own pace in your own time
- Improving communication and relationships
- Reconnect with your hopes and dreams
- Rediscover hope and joy
Discussion (221) ¬
I didn’t realize there were so many aspects, thanks for sharing.