Helping Depression With Counselling
Helping depression with counselling
Depression, it’s unseen, difficult to comprehend or explain and often has no visible symptoms. It’s also something we just don’t talk about in society. We will often hear such ‘wisdom’ as “you just need to pull yourself together”. Feelings of depression are common psychological disorders which impact every one of us at some stage in life. We experience mild depression every day – anger, frustration, sadness, isolation, stress or feelings of harassment. Deeper feelings of depression however, inhibit the lives of millions of people every day, often without recognition or acceptance that this is an illness requiring support, time, and specialised therapy and counselling. Those of us who suffer with depression can’t “just get over it” and may suffer in silence for months and even years.
Feelings of isolation and embarrassment may prevent us from seeking help but there is a wealth of help, guidance and advice available. Depression counselling and psychotherapy are proven as effective ways of treating the disorder if cases are mild to moderate. There are many counsellors or psychotherapists specifically trained in supporting those who are struggling with depression and consultations with such specialists will help to provide a framework to deal with the problems we have in life.
A counsellor can help you locate the cause or causes or your depression
When you visit a counsellor or psychotherapist for help it’s not likely to be a quick fix because there is not one cause of depression – in fact, there are often a number of factors which need to be addressed and this is where a depression counsellor will help to unravel your personal conundrum so you can start to see the wood for the trees.
There are a number of recognised types of depression and your counsellor, along sometimes with your General Practitioner will help to establish what may be happening for you.
It may be biological – sometimes there’s something genetic within families or it could be a chemical imbalance. It may be trauma provoked – experience of bereavement, abuse, neglect, divorce, redundancy or the discovery of serious illness. There can often be psychological factors – previous experiences or factors which bring about a lack of self esteem, negative thoughts or views on life, low self confidence. It is also recognised that hormonal imbalances will contribute towards depression.
Counselling offers a route to curing depression
The absence of someone to talk things through with can exacerbate the cycle of depression and a depression counsellor will provide that opportunity to open up about your feelings. Whether it is feelings of guilt, sadness, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, making decisions or remembering, insomnia or loss of appetite, counselling will help you to look at these inhibiting issues in a different perspective and begin to understand what will help recovery.
Depression affects 1 in 10 adults in Britain at any one time so you are not alone, however isolated you may feel. It is also significant that figures for men suffering from depression are rising faster than women. Are we becoming more aware and accepting as a society perhaps? It is still suggested though, that the ratio of women to men suffering from depression is 2:1.
Depression counsellors and psychotherapists are trained and qualified to support you in the recovery process and will also be able to signpost you as to all the help and support which is available. The nature of depression will often make us feel isolated and alone but seeking the support of others can be the first step in getting life back on track.
Article submitted by
Jerry Grafton, GoToSee Journalist
Date published
18/05/08
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Tags: Counselling, Counsellor, Depression, Low self esteem, Self confidence
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