Counselling for Depression

Depression is a continuous state of low mood and aversion to activity that can have a negative effect on a person’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, world view, and physical well-being. Depression affects between 1 in 10 Canadians during their lifetime.  Depression isn’t just a “mood swing”, a dark day, or a sign of personal weakness that you can just push through. It is a powerful force that pulls you down.

Depression can look and feel different from person to person. There are different types of depression, many different symptoms and of course individuals experience it to varying degrees. Some people experience severe depression for a very long time.  Their emotions, physical health, their relationships and their work can all be profoundly affected.

Here are some telltale signs and symptoms that indicate that you could be depressed:

• Low mood or sadness, consistently for most of the day, nearly everyday
• Lack of interest or pleasure in your favorite activities
• Fatigue or low energy
• Sleeping too little (insomnia) or too much (hypersomnia)
• Feeling agitated mentally (anxiety) or physically (pacing, unable to keep still)
• Feeling slowed down mentally or physically
• Physical aches and pains (headaches, stomach pain, joint pains or other pains)
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things, or difficulty making decisions
• Excessive or inappropriate guilt
• Irritability
• Poor appetite/significant weight loss or increased appetite/noticeable weight gain
• Low self-esteem
• Loss of interest in sex
• Excessive worry; dwelling on negative thoughts
• Periods of crying, sometimes for seemingly “no reason”
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Suicidal thoughts either with or without a plan

Causes and risk factors include:

• a genetic or family history of depression, psychological or emotional vulnerability to depression
• biological factors such as imbalances in brain chemistry and in the endocrine/immune systems
• a major stress, a loss, or a major disappointment may play a part in the onset of depression

If you would like some support around your symptoms, or would like to better understand a loved one’s depression, please contact me for more information about how I can help you to overcome your depression.