What is depression?

Depression can feel overwhelming. If can feel like you are trapped in a dark hole that you just cant get out of.
It’s a feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and sadness all rolled into one. It affects your thoughts, behaviours and can have an impact on every aspect of your life.

It can be really tough living with depression.. As a fellow human like you I know how hard it can be. Christchurch Therapy has speciality  techniques that are designed to help you with your depression and move on with your life. 

What are the symptoms of depression?

Depression is more than just feeling “sad”…  it’s more persistent.
Some common symptoms include:
* Feeling sad and down.
*Feeling overwhelmed.
*Worrying lots.
* Lost all confidence in yourself.
*Feeling tired all the time.
*Not wanting to get out of bed and face the day.
*No motivation and loss of concentration.
*Loss of appetite.
*Can’t concentrate
*Isolating yourself from family and friends.
*Negative thoughts – “I’m a failure” “It’s all my fault” “People would be better off without me” “Life’s not worth living

A key sign of depression is a loss of interest and enjoyment in activities that usually you would enjoy doing.

What causes depression?

Depression is a complex problem where there is not just one clear cause behind it. It can be caused by chemical imbalances in your brain and other aspects in life. Commonly though that feeling of being depressed is triggered by an event in your life.

Some factors that contribute to depression:

Stressful life event – At some point in our lives we all face stressful life events, such as death of a loved one, loosing a job, illness and relationship spiralling out of control.
Drug an alcohol use – this can be both lead to and be a result of having low mood.
Genes – Like other health issues, genetics can play a role in depression. People who have family history can be more prone to being depressed.
Personality – The way you view the world plays a part. Whether if you worry a lot or see the best in every situation.

Treatments for depression?

If you think your depressed, or experiencing some of these symptoms, firstly I would strongly encourage you to reach out and look for some help. Whether if it’s a family member, close friend or a professional.
As depression can be caused by a combination of both internal and external factors, it can be useful to look at what can help for both of these.

If you wish, your doctor can help with information and details with medications such as  antidepressants. Whether these are right for you, the dosage and for how long you should take them.
Antidepressants aren’t the only form of help to rely on to help with depression. If you take antidepressants, and keep all other factors that might be playing a part in feeling depressed, the likelihood of you remaining depressed is high.

Christchurch Therapy looks to treat depression and low mood through talk therapy. Your mood is closely linked to your thoughts and ideas, and everything that has happened to you and around you.
Together we will look to explore the depression, where it started, what caused it, and work together to develop a plan to help you cope and deal with the depression going forward.