Depression is the most common mental health issue. The World Health Organisation estimates that around 3.8% of the population is affected. This estimates the number affected as 280 million. Women are more likely to be affected by depression than men. Depression can be mild, moderate or severe. The severity of depression is determined by the number of symptoms experienced.
Symptoms of depression include.
lack of interest or pleasure in activities that a person would normally enjoy
lack of concentration
feeling guilt or failure
sleep disruption or sleeping too much
hopelessness about the future and rumination on past failures
feeling tired or having little energy
changes in appetite
pulling away from others or finding social interaction exhausting
Anxiety can often mask depression. It is possible to have anxiety and depression at the same time and having anxiety can often be the cause of a period of depression. A bout of depression can be cause by several stressors like a bout of ill health, being made redundant, money worries, breakdown of a relationship, family issues and loss of a loved one.
Depression can be very physical and often those with severe depression will report simply not having the strength to get out of bed. Even the smallest tasks can be exhausting.
How can counselling help with depression?
Counselling can give you the space to talk things through. Often when dealing with depression you can be trapped with negative thoughts and within counselling those thoughts can be said out loud and explored. What this does, is allow you to assess if the concern is valid or is it just my depression talking? This gives the space to validate the feeling and you can then assess if they are right to be worried about these things. Depression is isolating due to the tendency to pull away from others and within counselling there is a safe space to reconnect with another person without the fear of being told something unhelpful like “just pull yourself together” or “just get on with it”. For someone with depression these phrases are unhelpful as it is simply not that easy. We often underestimate the healing power of just being able to talk without judgement. Humans are designed to interact with each other and not made to be on our own. We thrive best when we are connected to others and have people who support us through life’s tough times.
Within counselling the person can look at strategies to manage their depression and begin to get back to being their old self again. This usually takes the form of deciding what actions feel okay and this helps you to start building yourself back up. The emphasis is on what you can manage rather than what is expected of you by others. Within counselling you get to explore what kinds of activities you find restorative to build resilience that can reduce the frequency of depressive episodes or keep them from reoccurring. Counselling is focused on what does good look like for you? What do you need and want within your life to feel that you are making your life meaningful? This is different for everyone, and counselling gives the space to investigate what you need to be the best version of yourself.
When choosing a counsellor to help you recover from depression you need to look for someone who you feel comfortable with. This is more important than qualifications and experience, although you should always ensure that your counsellor is registered with a professional body to make sure that they maintain a good ethical standard. You should feel that you are able to be yourself and not feel any fear telling them anything. It is often useful to have an initial telephone call with a counsellor to determine if you feel comfortable with them and let the counsellor know any issues that are going on for you. You can also try out several counsellors with a first session, a good counsellor would recommend you do this so that you get the right fit for you.
Don’t be discouraged in counselling if at first you find counselling draining, for those with depression, especially severe depression it can at first feel tough. Within a few sessions you will start to feel less drained and should feel “lighter” at the end of each the session. This is the first sign that you are making progress and the recovery from depression has begun.
For further information contact me at info@forcounselling.co.uk.
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