The word “depression” is being used quite often today, making it easy to forget that depression is serious and hard. There are days when it can make people completely unable to get out of bed in the morning. On the other hand, there are days, when our activities can seem more manageable. So, how can you know if you should get depression counseling or if you should wait for the feeling to go away?
First of all, how do we know if someone is suffering from depression? In our society, we are not encouraged to talk about our deep problems and feelings, so sometimes we just can’t know if someone is having a hard time.
It might be our colleague that sits behind us every day or another employee who’s dealing with depression. For this reason, a lot of people delay seeking help which only prolongs their state.
How can we be sure if it’s depression?
Everyone gets sad for a lot of different reasons – professional, romantic, financial reasons, or sometimes with no reason at all. Also, big changes in our lives can trigger different emotional states.
For example, some people have a hard time when having to move. Luckily, there is an easy way to get ready when moving. There are certain things people can do to mentally prepare themselves when such big changes occur.
However, while this is something all people experience, depression is more severe. But, sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference, especially when the affected person or their friends are in denial.
Depression is most commonly described through symptoms like sadness, anxiety, loss of interest, changes of appetite and fatigue etc. But, when it comes to depression, these symptoms last for more than a couple of weeks.
While it is a mental condition, depression also has biological aspects. It’s important to know that it affects the body, not just the mind. Biological aspects of depression are due to levels of chemicals in the brain of the affected person.
Furthermore, the levels affect the psychological symptoms of depression.
Is it possible to get better and how?
First of all, what an affected person can forget, even in its most severe form, depression is treatable. And there should be no shame in seeking treatment than can help a person suffering from it.
These treatments can prevent depression from worsening and even heal it. And treatments can go from support groups for mental illnesses to medications.
Several medications are used for treating depression, but it’s important to know that it’s not a whole treatment. While medications can help with the symptoms, depression counseling can help get to the root of the problem.
That’s why the common practice and the best-known way of treating depression is with a combination of medication and counseling.
Depression counseling
Counseling has been proven to be effective in treating depression. While it can help you in many ways, it’s going to be especially useful with finding the causes of depression. That way, you can lessen the chance of experiencing it in the future.
Also, depression counseling can help you recognize thinking patterns that lead to depression. Recognizing the patterns, with time, you will be able to engage less and less in them.
Besides these, it’s important to identify the unhealthy methods we use for treating depression, like alcohol or other kinds of addictive behaviour. Also, you will find out the healthy methods of dealing with depression.
It’s also important that a counselor can give you an objective, fresh perspective. Eventually, you will be able to see that your perception has been clouded by the state you’re in.
And, knowing that, you’ll be encouraged to share your emotions with your close friends and you’ll become more comfortable with them.
Finally, depression counseling can help you by showing you healthy ways of dealing with these emotions, thoughts, and stressors.
Therapists or counselors can give you life-defining suggestions to overcome depressions or other similar methods. That way, you will be able to use them as soon as you notice the symptoms.
Be patient and find a suitable counselor
Depression counseling does little good if you can’t connect to your therapist or counselor. As there are many qualified therapists, we usually think that all of them are good for us.
But, it’s absolutely normal not to connect with everyone the same way. And the same goes with therapists. So, it’s essential to find the one who you can talk freely with. Even if takes some time, be patient and find the right therapist for yourself.
Don’t worry about not being sure if that therapist is the one for you. During the first couple of sessions, you will be able to see if you made the right choice.
Different kinds of depression counseling
There are different kinds of counseling and psychotherapy that have been proven in treating depression, so find the one that works the best for you:
Cognitive behavioural therapy is based on the belief that the ways we think and behave are the causes of our feelings, which is not hard to believe.
As people with depression tend to have thoughts that don’t serve them, this therapy aims to help them recognize these thoughts as soon as they occur.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy does use cognitive therapy but combines it with breathing and meditation. These two elements are commonly called mindfulness techniques and can be practised in any situation.
On the other hand, interpersonal therapy focuses on the challenges in communication with others, as it believes it to be the root cause.
Besides these, there are other kinds of depression counseling available. Be patient and take the time to find the one that works the best for you.
It might be hard, but ask for help
As you can see, there are many kinds of treatments, with different types of depression counseling.
Just don’t forget that there is support available for you, even if you can’t see it. But, even though it’s hard, you might need to open up and ask for help.
