Counselling for Depression

What is Depression? 

It’s perfectly normal for our moods to change from time to time where we may experience periods of sadness or feeling low.  However if these feelings last for weeks, months or even longer this could be a sign of depression. According to NHS Inform (2024), Depression affects around 1 in 10 people in their life time.

Depression can affect people psychologically, physically or socially and one person may experience different symptoms than another. 

Psychological symptoms can include low mood, losing pleasure or interest in doing activities you would normally enjoy, feeling anxious, worried, guilt, tearful or having a loss of motivation. There may be continual feelings of sadness or irritability and in severe cases a person may feel suicidal. 

Physical symptoms of depression can include:  Lack of energy, feeling hopeless, sad, tired yet having difficulty sleeping, low libido/sex drive, losing appetite for food or over eating, as well as suffering aches and pains.

Social symptoms can include avoiding seeing friends or family where you would normally like to do so, avoiding social events, having difficulty at work or at home and neglecting hobbies. 

Various forms of depression and when to seek help

The feeling of depression can range from low mood to the extreme of feeling suicidal. Doctors will usually categorise how serious it is with how much impact it has on your every day life. For example, mild, moderate and severe depression, and the severity of impact that it has on your every day life, NHS choices.(2023). It is recommended that if you experience symptoms of depressions most of the day and every day for 2 weeks, then you should see a GP.

Treatment for Depression

Depending on the severity of your depression there are different treatments. For mild depression it may be helpful to just monitor it but pay attention to keeping yourself well. Doing self help work books where you can recognise what may be influencing your depressive mood maybe helpful. Looking after your general wellbeing such as healthy eating and exercise and surrounding yourself with people who are positive and supportive can be helpful. Talking therapies and counselling can be helpful, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal or relationship therapy could be helpful if your depression is linked to your relationship or communication with others. In some cases doctors may prescribe antidepressants such as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. 

What causes Depressions?

There can be various causes that may trigger depression such as stressful situations, challenging life events like the loss of a job, divorce or other relationship breakdown, childbirth or financial worries. Sometimes incidents or illnesses may cause depression such as suffering a severe head injury or suffering from a medical condition that last a long time such as cancer or heart conditions. If there is a history of depression in families, genetically there can be a predisposition to develop depression however it may not always be due to genetics.

Some of the symptoms of grief are similar to depression, however grief is a perfectly natural way we process the loss of someone, where as depression is an illness. Sometimes people can get stuck in the symptoms of grief and this can lead to depression.