Depression
Feeling low or depressed?
One in five people become depressed at some point in their lives.
What is depression?
Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.
Anyone can get low, but someone is said to be suffering from depression when these feelings persist or become so bad they interfere with their everyday life.
What causes people to become depressed?
Sometimes there may be an obvious reason for becoming depressed for example a relationship break down or bereavement and sometimes there may not be.
Symptoms of depression are deeper, longer and more unpleasant than the short episodes of unhappiness that everyone experiences occasionally.
Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:
Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
Crying
Sleep disturbances
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
Loss of sex drive and lack of enthusiasm
Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
Loss of energy, lack of motivation or increased fatigue
Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others)
Feeling worthless or guilty
Irritability
Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
Thoughts of death or suicide
When to get professional help
Depression causes feelings of sadness and often a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work, home and leisure activities.
If you have noticed yourself increasingly avoiding situations and struggling to complete your every day activities including self care, work, social and leisure activities, it is time to seek some help.
My Therapist Online can help you
If you recognise some of the symptoms above, it could be that you are suffering from depression and may benefit from booking an appointment to see one of our therapists.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a recommended treatment for conditions where anxiety and depression are the main problem. CBT will often focus on lifting the spiralling cycles of depression and low mood.
CBT helps you to understand the underlying causes of your depression by working to examine the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are contributing to your low mood. With your therapist you will develop a personalised plan to cope with low moods and learn techniques and tools that will help you now and help prevent the return of low moods in the future. Many of our therapists are highly training and experienced in treating depression.
We make finding the right therapist easy.
At My Therapist Online, we listen to the problems you are facing and match you with the right therapist for your individual needs. You can meet with them for a free initial consultation to be sure it is a good match before starting your therapy.
Recommended Reading for Depression
Overcoming Depression: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques - by Paul Gilbert: This book provides an overview of CBT for depression and includes exercises and techniques for readers to try.
The Depression Workbook - by Mary Ellen Copeland: This workbook includes exercises and techniques for managing depression using CBT.
It's important to keep in mind that CBT is most effective when it is tailored to the individual's specific needs and goals. Therefore, it may be helpful to work with a therapist who can help you develop a personalized CBT treatment plan.