From time to time we all feel down or upset. Upsetting events happen to everyone – events such as a family death, illness, redundancy, change in lifestyle or relationship breakdown. For most people the feelings from these events pass.
But if you feel sad for more than two weeks over an issue , then there may be sometihing more serious developing than simply feeling down.
Depression – What is it?
A number of symptoms contribute to depression, these include feeling:
unhappy, feeling useless, unloved, self-harm, tired, fed up, even self harming
unable to concentrate, self reproach, guilty, angry, suicidal.
Symptoms will vary in duration, combination and in their re occurance. Depression creates a sense of isolation which prevents the sufferer from seeking assitance from others. This is how depression differs from general unhappiness.
The medical researchers debate if it is a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes depression or the depressed mood infact results in the chemical disturbance in the brain. It is more likely that depression is caused by an ongoing interaction of physical, social and psychological effects creating a decending spiral of depression. Depression can be viewed as a natural mechanism to protect a person when events are too much and that it is part of a bodily self healing process.
In many cases the person will initially consult with their doctor and medication with drugs may be required as it suppresses overwhelming feelings. But the downside is that individuals tend to feel less alive and may therefore not get to the bottom of what is wrong or it takes longer for the person to return to a normal life balance, medication can in fact prolong the natural cycle.
How Counselling Helps With Depression
Counselling can assist with regaining a sense of control and normality to life. There is agreement with counsellors that depression starts when we think we are not good enough. As you see yourself as unacceptable and sad the more drastic the things you must do. Depression is one of the most drastic things a person can exhibit. Counsellors recognises this view of self as key. The sense of failure to satisfy high internal expectations results in depression.
Counselling provides an opportunity in which a person can talk about and pinpoint the life problems that contribute to their depression. It can help them understand which aspects of problems they may be able to solve or improve upon and make sense of and find their own way out of their depression with the help of a qualified counsellor.
Unlike a relative or close friend, a counsellor is able to help the person impartially by identifying areas of the persons life that result in the depression and to assist them in finding the right direction to travel in to solve the problem areas.
Learn more about Counselling for Depression. Stop by Tracy Mills’s site where you can find out all about Counselling and what it can do for you.