What is Depression?
Am I depressed or just sad? It’s a question that is worthy of exploring, maybe even with a depression therapist. Feeling sad and overwhelmed at times is perfectly normal and a difficult part of the human experience. However, depression is more than feeling sad. Depression is a chronic inability to feel the joy that often is felt for no clear reason. Depression can stop you from achieving your goals at work and at school. It can prevent you from being the mother, father, husband, or wife that you want to be. Untreated, depression robs you of your present and your future. With the help of a depression therapist, you can begin to manage your symptoms.
It is different from grief or the feelings of being overwhelmed that often go with major life transitions. When these feelings of sadness and emptiness last for more than two weeks it is likely that you are venturing into the realm of clinical depression.
Depression Can Be Defeating
One of the hardest parts about depression is that once it grabs you, reaching out for help feels like too much work. When depression sinks in, you know what you want to do. Do you know what helps? Well-meaning friends often give cliché advice but having the energy to do the right thing just isn’t there. You have goals that want to accomplish, and family members that you want to show up for but the energy to move is nonexistent. This lack of ability to move can pile on to depression with feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. This downward spiral of depression is relentless and moves fast.
Depression is a debilitating state that takes the joy out of life and impacts every area of your day-to-day life. Living with Depression typically brings feelings of intense sadness, hopelessness, and overall fatigue. Depression can feel crippling and defeating.
A Depression Therapist Can Help You Fight Back
You may find yourself feeling stuck and losing hope, but know that hope is not lost. Therapy is a great step to regaining a sense of hope and feeling confident in yourself. You are not alone and can experience relief and happiness.
Hidden Symptoms of Depression
A depressed mood and diminished interest in all or almost all activities are the symptoms of depression the most well known. However, rapid weight gain or weight loss often accompanies depression. This can lead to further feelings of hopelessness and contribute to the downward spiral. Sometimes depression shows up as sleeping more than normal and sometimes it shows up with insomnia.
Sometimes the feelings of worthlessness and helplessness can manifest as anger. This can especially be true in men under high stress with lower testosterone. At East Cobb Relationship Center our depression therapists want to help you thrive in your life, your relationships, and your business.
Causes of Depression
There is no one cause of depression but often there are certain ingredients that can contribute to the rise in depression. Some of these ingredients can be major life events, early childhood experiences, substance abuse, and even genetics.
Understanding the particular ingredients of your depression can be a helpful part of recovery and reclaiming the meaning back to your life. At East Cobb Relationship Center, a depression therapist will help you learn ways to cope with the heavy emotions of sadness and depression. We will also help you understand some of the causes and triggers to help you understand and maintain your recovery.
Treatment Options With A Depression Therapist
At the East Cobb Relationship Center, we have a depression therapist trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Both of these therapy modalities are proven effective to help with mild or moderate depression. CBT is an empirically supported treatment for depression. CBT helps individuals identify and capture negative thoughts and learn how these thoughts impact behavior. Your depression therapist will help you identify the thoughts and behaviors that are contributing to the downward spiral of depression and create new thoughts and behaviors that will renew the way you think and behave to help bring meaning back to your life.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is also an empirically validated approach to treating depression. While there is much overlap the DBT borrows from CBT, DBT goes further in helping individuals identify, accept and regulate emotions. DBT builds upon four pillars of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness to tolerate and dialogue with your depression.
Along with Anxiety, Depression is one of the most common mental health problems in the United States. The good news is that there are effective treatment options for both adolescents and adults. You don’t have to live with hopelessness forever. If you or someone you love is potentially experiencing depression then please reach out today.
Life After Depression Counseling
When experiencing depression you may wonder if life will ever get back to normal. Each person’s journey out of depression is unique. For some, it may take months while other may recover in a few weeks. A learning tool to help you recover from depression will give you confidence about creating a vision for your future and the skills to execute that vision. We want to help you get results that get you back to your life and your relationships. If depression is keeping you from achieving your potential at school, at work, or showing up as the husband, mother, or father you want to be then now is the time to reach out to a depression therapist for help.
Begin Depression Counseling in Georgia!
You don’t have to keep living with depression. Learn how to manage your depression symptoms of loneliness and doubt with a skilled depression therapist. When you’re ready to start healing, we’ll be here! You can learn more about our team of caring therapists by contacting East Cobb Relationship Center. Here are the steps you need to take to start anxiety treatment:
- Contact us for a free phone consultation
- Next, meet with one of our caring and competent depression therapists
- Then, it’s time to begin your healing journey