Counselling for Depression

Depression is one of the most common psychological problems affecting nearly everyone at some time in their life, either through personal experience, or through witnessing a family member or friend suffering from persistent low mood. Even though it’s true that we all go through spells of feeling down, clinical depression is more than simply feeling unhappy, miserable or fed up for a few days. Depression is a real illness, a real mood disorder with real symptoms characterized by low mood, which vary in severity form person to person. It is not a case of “snapping out of it” or “pulling yourself together” but much more serious and complex psychological condition which causes negative thoughts and emotional states, disrupts physical functioning and often leads to social isolation.

Depression is the inability to feel pleasure, the inability to see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, together with an overwhelming feeling of sadness, helplessness, low mood and an impending sense of ‘doom and gloom’, which have persisted for more than several weeks or months. Sufferers also frequently experience stress, anxiety, panic attacks, and low self-esteem which make it increasingly difficult to cope with the demands of every day life, relationships and work. Feelings of sadness may cause a depressed person to withdraw from social activities, and a sense of worthlessness and powerlessness can make it hard to perform even the simplest of tasks.

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Depression is characterized by “persistent low mood and/or loss of pleasure in most activities and a range of associated emotional, cognitive, physical, and behavioral symptoms. It is the third most common reason for consultation in general practice in the UK. Each year, about one in twenty adults experience an episode of depression.” (NICE)

What Are the Symptoms of Depression?

For major or clinical depression you may experience a depressed or low mood, have an inability to take part in day to day living and working, and experience and inability to feel pleasure in social activities or relationships.  If you have been experiencing any of the symptoms listed below, then it’s important to have the right support, understanding and empathy to help you explore, identify and deal with some of the underlying causes of your most difficult and negative thoughts, feelings, and low moods.

Here are some of the signs of depression if you’ve been persistently feeling sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days, and it’s important to state that  symptoms can vary from mild to severe and from person to person:

Psychological & Emotional Symptoms

• Consistent feelings of sadness, loneliness, numbness and worthlessness
• Feelings of worry and anxiety
• Sense of helplessness and hopelessness
• Loss of interest and lack of pleasure in activities or hobbies you used to enjoy
• Pessimistic thoughts and expecting the worst e.g. suicidal thoughts such as “what’s the point of living?” or “everyone would be better off if I wasn’t here”
• Difficulty concentrating and poor memory
• Low self-esteem and loss of confidence
• Feelings of guilt and shame
• Tearfulness
• Stress & Frustration
• Inability to cope
• Irritability and intolerance of others
• Inability to function on a daily basis
• Self destructive behaviors e.g. tendency to misuse alcohol, food or drugs as a coping mechanism
• Desire to hide away from people and to be left alone
• Sense of isolation even whilst in the company of others

Physical Symptoms

• Lack of energy and feelings of fatigue or lethargy
• Slow movements and slow speech
• Changes in appetite (increased or decreased) and weight (weight gain or loss)
• Unexplained aches and pains
• Sleep disturbance e.g. insomnia, the need for excessive sleep, the inability or lack of desire to get out of bed

Social Symptoms

• Avoidance of social situations and people
• Lack of motivation in life and at work
• Reduced interest and enjoyment of fun activities or hobbies
• Difficulties with relationships, communication and home/family life