Depression Therapy: Has Sadness Overtaken You And You Don’t Know How To Rebound?
Are you overwhelmed by feelings of unending grief and sadness? Have you lost hope for what your future holds? Do you struggle with unexplainable physical and emotional symptoms as your interest in the things that once gave you joy dwindles?
Perhaps you’re weighed down by sorrow. Or you feel the need to take time for yourself rather than socialize with others. And if you do decide to go out, you may struggle to connect and fully engage with people. At your worst, you may have come to the conclusion that life just doesn’t feel like it’s worth living.
Depression can put a damper on even your best days. It is a condition characterized by the experience of overwhelming sadness. This feeling may also be met with bouts of irritability, anger, guilt, or hopelessness. Furthermore, depression can prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep, staying focused, or eating. Additional signs of depression may include changes in weight or self-injury as a way to cope with the pain or numbness you may feel. Forming and keeping up with relationships can also feel difficult.
If You Experience Depression You May Not Recognize Yourself
If you are experiencing depression, you may not recognize the person you’ve become. You may be able to sense the difference as compared to who you were before your depression set in. Perhaps you even blame yourself for allowing your spirit to sink so deeply. If this is the case, you likely feel helpless, and perhaps you can’t help but spiral further downward into sadness.
Yet you should not blame yourself for what you feel. Depression is a condition that impacts many people and treatment can give you the support you need to accept your feelings as a human. Therapy can help you manage your symptoms and find ways to cope with and overcome your depression.
Millions Struggle With Depression Worldwide
According to the World Health Organization, “more than 264 million people around the world suffer from depression“. Depression can range from mild to severe (also called clinical depression). It can stem from life stressors or biochemical changes in the mind. No matter the origin, overcoming depression will likely require professional support to get better.
Symptoms of depression can in fact be exacerbated by environmental factors. Maybe some of us have struggled with a change in our economic status and fear the impact of this change—the resulting uncertainty may cause us to be overcome with grief or sadness. Or in another example, we may be getting older despite having felt that our youth would last forever. Without a blueprint for self-acceptance, perhaps we may grow to feel hopeless about this inevitable change. Eventually succumbing to depression.
Other Factors Contributing to Depression
Other factors that can contribute to depression also include grief or loss, trauma, identity struggles, lack of social support, or difficulty accepting change. Each of our triggers is unique to our experiences and brain makeup.
Once we’ve fallen into a depressed state, we may no longer have the emotional muscles to stand up again. Mentally, we may struggle with dysfunctional thinking as we constantly ruminate on our circumstances. Recovery on our own might be difficult to do alone if we have picked up unhealthy habits through self-medication to move beyond our pain. Perhaps we lack the support system to get us through these difficult times.
Yet with the right support, there is hope for tomorrow. In therapy, you can work to cultivate a healthier mental space that allows you to move through life free of the added emotional weight brought on by depression.
Depression Symptoms in Adults: Identifying the Signs
Depression is a prevalent mental health condition that can affect adults of all ages. It’s essential to recognize the symptoms of depression to seek help and support when needed. Common depression symptoms in adults to look out for:
Persistent Sadness:
One of the most prominent symptoms of depression in adults is persistent and overwhelming sadness or a low mood that lasts for an extended period, often for at least two weeks or more.
Loss of Interest:
Adults with depression may experience a significant loss of interest or pleasure in activities they once enjoyed. Including hobbies, socializing, or work-related tasks.
Fatigue and Low Energy:
Persistent feelings of fatigue, low energy levels, and a sense of physical and mental exhaustion are common in individuals with depression. Even small tasks may feel daunting.
Changes in Sleep Patterns:
Depression can lead to disturbances in sleep patterns, including:
- Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
- Hypersomnia: Excessive sleep, often with difficulty waking up in the morning.
Changes in Appetite and Weight:
Depression can affect appetite and eating habits, leading to:
- Overeating: Consuming excessive amounts of food, often unhealthy comfort foods.
- Undereating: A reduced appetite and significant weight loss.
Irritability and Agitation:
Adults with depression may experience irritability, restlessness, or increased agitation. They may become easily frustrated or angered by minor stressors.
Cognitive Symptoms:
Depression can impact cognitive functioning, resulting in:
- Difficulty concentrating: Trouble focusing on tasks or maintaining attention.
- Memory problems: Forgetfulness and difficulty recalling information.
Feelings of Worthlessness or Guilt:
Depression often brings feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or self-blame. Even when there is no rational basis for these emotions.
Physical Symptoms:
Physical symptoms related to depression may include:
- Aches and pains: Unexplained physical symptoms, such as headaches or body aches.
- Digestive issues: Stomachaches or gastrointestinal discomfort.
- Decreased libido: Reduced interest in sex.
Social Withdrawal:
Adults with depression may withdraw from social activities, isolate themselves from friends and loved ones, and have difficulty maintaining relationships.
Suicidal Thoughts:
In severe cases of depression, individuals may experience thoughts of self-harm or suicide. These thoughts should be taken seriously, and immediate help should be sought.
Recognizing depression symptoms in adults is vital for early intervention and effective management. Depression is a treatable condition, and various therapeutic approaches, including therapy and medication, can help individuals regain their mental health and improve their quality of life.
Depression Therapy Can Give You A New Lease On Life
If you’re looking for an outlet to safely explore your thoughts and feelings so you can feel stronger and more resilient, then maybe depression treatment could be for you. Depression therapy allows you to look at barriers you face in recovery, and slowly break through them, issue by issue.
Saible Neuropsychology offers a warm, compassionate, and non-judgmental environment where your experiences will be validated. Our expert depression therapists curate a unique approach to depression therapy which has helped many clients find healthy ways to manage and work through symptoms of depression so they can find joy and meaning in life again.
Step One To Starting Depression Therapy
The first step of this process is to fill out intake paperwork through a secure online portal. Once the paperwork is complete, we will schedule a time to meet. In this meeting, we will review your forms, gather additional background information as needed, explore why you’ve decided to seek depression therapy and identify treatment goals. Then we will develop an individualized treatment plan.
Your Depression Therapy Sessions
In ongoing sessions, we will explore various aspects of your depression in order to understand what you are experiencing and find solutions for symptoms and effects so you can get back to the business of living. We will look at potential causes of your depression, which can have any number of sources (e.g. childhood trauma, work stressors, family history).
Additionally, your depression therapist will help you learn skills to identify and address cognitive distortions, which are regularly occurring thought patterns that are oftentimes negative and based on inaccurate information. Additional skills you will gain through treatment include distress tolerance, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness.
Using Evidence-Based Modalities to Help
We may also introduce evidence-based modalities to speed your healing process. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help you change negative thought patterns into more positive ones so your responses to life situations net more constructive outcomes. We may also introduce the idea of change through acceptance with the modality of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). In DBT, clients first accept where they are presently in life in order to make the desired changes for their future—these opposing forces help to create positive, long-lasting change. Finally, we also believe in psychoeducation, or educating you while treating your depression so that you can understand your condition and healing journey from a place of empathy.
You have made the best of your life circumstances so far and we commend you. With depression treatment, we believe that you can further build the skills you need to live life as yourself once again. Saible Neuropsychology has been able to offer support and guidance to clients so they can work through the effects of depression and improve the quality of their lives, and we believe that we can do the same for you.
Maybe you still have concerns about depression treatment…
“Treatment won’t improve my depression symptoms.”
Depression can be a complex condition, but it is possible to improve your current circumstances. If you struggle to make strides alone, a therapist can help you build new skills to work through what you are currently feeling. When it comes to depression, having the support and professional know-how as the foundation for your healing can make all the difference.
“Therapy will not help.”
Our job as therapists will be to give you the support and skills you need in depression therapy to improve your present life situation. Additionally, progress will begin once you’ve started to implement strategies you learn in sessions and apply them to daily life. Practicing these skills can contribute positively to your recovery.
“I do not have the time or the money for treatment.”
Both time and money can be difficult to come by for unplanned life expenses. Yet one thing that we like to ask is what the cost of not getting therapy might be. What is depression costing your life right now? Do you feel like yourself? Can you perform your best? Are your relationships as strong as you’d like them to be? If you have answered “no” to any of these questions, then perhaps depression treatment could be the right investment for you.
Are You Ready To Find Your Way Out From Depression?
Life might not always be sunshine and rainbows, but you deserve to at least live life free from the debilitating grip of depression. If you’re ready to take the next step toward a healthier mental space, we invite you to contact us and see how depression treatment can help.
Start Depression Therapy in Saint Petersburg, FL!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by depression, take the first step towards healing. Reach out to an expert depression therapist at Saible Neuropsychology who can provide the support and guidance you need to cope with and overcome your symptoms in a healthy and empowering way. You don’t have to go through this alone – prioritize your mental health and start your journey to recovery. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
- Contact us to schedule an appointment to begin depression therapy
- Begin working with an expert depression therapist
- Start effectively managing and healing from your depression symptoms!
Other Services Offered at Saible Neuropsychology
At Saible Neuropsychology, our team wants to help you or a member of your family with whatever struggle you may be facing. So in addition to helping you manage your anxiety symptoms with anxiety therapy, our team offers Child Neuropsychological Evaluations, Adult Neuropsychological Evaluations, Memory and Dementia Evaluations, Gifted Evaluations, and ADHD Evaluations. We also provide individual therapy services for children, teens, adults, couples, and families, for anxiety, grief, trauma, life transitions, anger management, and more. Be sure to check out our FAQs and Blog to learn more about us and our services!
