Category: <span>Depression</span>

What are the signs of Depression?

 

 

A lot of people wonder or question if they have Depression or not, and its not always that straight forward to recognise a depressive episode. Sometimes, other people may say to you ‘Are you depressed?’ or ‘we think you are depressed’, which can be quite confusing, as how can an individual recognise they are depressed if they dont know what it is themselves.

 

Below are the signs of depression commonly associated with an episode of depression. When people become depressed they often experience some of the following depressive symptoms:

  • A Persistent feeling of low mood or unhappiness.
  • A sense worthlessness and inadequacy with a loss of confidence.
  • Feelings of guilt, anxiety and irritability.
  • Feeling tired, a loss of energy, general aches and pains and little motivation to do things.
  • Loss of interest and pleasure in day to day activities.
  • Changes in appetite – either eating less or more.
  • Sleep disturbance – difficulties getting off to sleep or early morning waking.
  • Loss of interest in sex and or a reduction in libido.
  • Difficulties in concentrating, making decisions and remembering things.
  • A sense of hopelessness and helplessness about the future.
  • Difficulties being around people leading to withdrawal and isolating self.
  • Thoughts of death and suicide.
  • Thoughts becomes extreme, negative / self critical and unhelpful.

 

People with depression may not necessarily experience all of these signs of depression all at once, but the majority of people with depression will have atleast five or six (Royal College of Psychiatrists 2010) at any one time, with different degrees of intensity. If you experience these symptoms for a period up to two weeks or more it is important that you seek support as symptoms tend to get progressively worse with time.

 

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the major therapies now recommended by medical experts and GP’s, and has a strong evidence base to show significant improvements in Depression. So if you would like support to overcome your depression, get in touch with our cbt therapy nottingham clinic now. 

How Does Depression Effect You?

The depression syndrome is a collection of feelings and behaviours that have been found to characterise depressed people as a group.

You may find that you experience all or some of these feelings and behaviours. There are many individual differences to the number of symptoms and the extent to which different symptoms are experienced.

 

Mood:

Depression is considered to be a disorder of mood. Individuals who are depressed, describe low mood that has persisted for longer than two weeks. In mild forms of depression, individuals may not feel bad all day but still describe a dismal outlook and a sense of gloom. Their mood may lift with a positive experience, but fall again with even a minor disappointment.

In severe depression, a low mood could persist throughout the day, failing to lift even when pleasant things occur. The low mood may fluctuate during the day – it may be worse in the morning and relatively better in the afternoon. This is called ‘diurnal variation,’ which often accompanies a more severe type of depression.

In addition to sadness, other moods common to depression are:

  1. • Anxiety.
  2. Guilt. •
  3. Worthlessness and inadequacy

 

Thinking:

Individuals who are depressed think in certain ways. They tend to see themselves in a negative light. Often their self-esteem and self-confidence become very low. They dwell on how bad they feel, how the world is terrible, and on how hopeless everything is. The general ‘thinking theme’ of a person suffering from Depression are somewhat negative and pessimistic.

 

Physical:

Some people experience physical symptoms of depression.

  • Sleep patterns could change. Some people may experience difficulty falling asleep. Some may wake during the night and find it difficult to go back to sleep, or wake up early in the morning. Others may find themselves sleeping more and have difficulty staying awake.
  • Appetite may decline and weight loss occur, or some people may find themselves eating more than usual and thus gain weight.
  • Sexual interest may decline.
  • Energy levels may fall, as does motivation to carry out everyday activities. Depressed individuals may stop doing the things they used to enjoy because they feel unmotivated or lethargic.

 

Interacting with Other People:

Many depressed people express concern about their personal relationships. They may become unhappy and dissatisfied with their family, and other close, relationships. They may feel shy and anxious when they are with other people, especially in a group. They may feel lonely and isolated, yet at the same time, are unwilling or unable to reach out to others, even when they have the opportunities for doing so.

 

Have a think about yourself, and write & reflect upon your depression:

1) How does my life change when I’m depressed?

2) What have I noticed about what I do or don’t do when I’m depressed?

3) How does my view of myself, others, and the future change when I’m depressed?

4) What do other people notice about me when I’m depressed?

 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is one of the major therapies now recommended by medical experts and GP’s, and has a strong evidence base to show significant improvements in Depression. So if you would like support to overcome your depression, get in touch with our cbt therapy nottingham clinic now. 

What is Depression?

 

Many people experiencing the symptoms of depression might begin to wonder if there is something really wrong with them. One typical fear is that they might be going crazy. Unfortunately, the reactions and comments from other people such as, “Just get yourself together!” are not very helpful.

Although you might feel alone in your struggle against depressive moods, the reality is that many people experience these moods from time to time, or even regularly. In fact, it is estimated that 1 in every 4 persons experience significantly depressed mood at some time in their life.

 

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Depression can affect any kind of person at any stage of their life. You may be an introvert or an extrovert, socially active or shy, youthful or elderly, male or female, wealthy or poor. Whatever your distinction, you can become depressed. That means that any person you know has the potential to become depressed at some point in their lives. So remember, you are not alone.

Depression is a word used in everyday language to describe a number of feelings, including sadness, frustration, disappointment and sometimes lethargy. However, in clinical practice, the term “Depression” or “Major Depression” differs from these everyday ‘down’ periods in three main ways:

1) Major Depression is more intense.

2) Major Depression lasts longer (two weeks or more).

3) Major Depression significantly interferes with effective day-to-day functioning.

 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is one of the major therapies now recommended by medical experts and GP’s, and has a strong evidence base to show significant improvements in Depression. So if your reluctant to take medication, get in touch with our cbt therapy nottingham clinic and see how we could support you to overcome Depression.

What Causes Depression?

 

It is important to understand that depression is not caused by one thing, but probably by a combination of factors interacting with one another. These factors can be grouped into two broad categories – biology and psychology. Many biological and psychological factors interact in depression, although precisely which specific factors interact may differ from person to person.

 

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Biological Factors

The biological factors that might have some effect on depression include: genes, hormones, and brain chemicals.

Genetic Factors:

Depression often runs in families, which suggests that individuals may inherit genes that make them vulnerable to developing depression. However, one may inherit an increased vulnerability to the illness, but not necessarily the illness itself. Although many people may inherit the vulnerability, a great many of them may never suffer a depressive illness.

Hormones:

Research has found that there are some hormonal changes that occur in depression. The brain goes through some changes before and during a depressive episode, and certain parts of the brain are affected. This might result in an over-or-under-production of some hormones, which may account for some of the symptoms of depression. Medication treatment can be effective in treating these conditions.

Brain Chemicals (Neurotransmitters):

Nerve cells in the brain communicate to each other by specific chemical substances called neurotransmitters. It is believed that during depression, there is reduced activity of one or more of these neurotransmitter systems, and this disturbs certain areas of the brain that regulate functions such as sleep, appetite, sexual drive, and perhaps mood. The reduced level of neurotransmitters results in reduced communication between the nerve cells and accounts for the typical symptoms of depression. Many antidepressant drugs increase the neurotransmitters in the brain.

 

Psychological Factors

 

Thinking:

Many thinking patterns are associated with depression. These thinking patterns include:

• > Overstressing the negative.

• > Taking the responsibility for bad events but not for good events.

• > Having inflexible rules about how one should behave.

• > Thinking that you know what others are thinking and that they are thinking badly of you.

Loss:

Sometimes people experience events where loss occurs, and this can bring on depression. The experience of loss may include the loss of a loved one through bereavement or separation, loss of a job, loss of a friendship or relationship, loss of a promotion, loss of face, loss of support, etc.

Sense of Failure:

Some people may stake their happiness on achieving particular goals, such as getting ‘As’ on their exams, getting a particular job, earning a certain amount of profit from a business venture, or finding a life partner. If for some reason they are not able to achieve those goals, they might believe that they have failed somehow, and it is this sense of failure that can sometimes bring on, or increase, depression.

Stress:

An accumulation of stressful life events can also bring on depression. Stressful events include situations such as unemployment, financial worries, serious difficulties with spouses, parents or children, physical illness, and major changes in life circumstances.

 

Conclusion:

While we cannot do much about the genes we have inherited, there are a number of things we can do to overcome depression, or to prevent us from becoming depressed. Your doctor may have suggested medication, especially in a severe depression. While taking medication can be of assistance in overcoming depression, there are other things you can do that will help overcome and prevent depression, such as working on the psychological treatment of depression.

CBT Therapy is one of the major therapies now recommended by medical experts and GP’s, and has a strong evidence base to show significant improvements in Depression. So if your reluctant to take medication, get in touch or read more about how CBT could help you overcome Depression….

What is CBT?

– What are the Pros & Cons of CBT Therapy?

 

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