Depression
Depression is widely misunderstood. You don’t catch it like a cold, nor are you able to just ‘pull yourself together’ or ‘snap out of it’ when you have it. Everyone feels despondent, sad or low during their lives - sometimes for no apparent reason and this is part of normal everyday life. We find ourselves saying we are 'depressed ' when what we mean is that we’re feeling a bit down. Depression however, is when those feelings are severe, or go on for more than two weeks. Help then should be sought and your first port of call should always be your Doctor.
Depression is increasingly common, indeed, the World Health Organisation predicts that by the year 2020 it will become the second most major ailment in the world. Meaningful life occurrences can trigger bouts of depression, exam or work stress, family problems, relationship issues, redundancy, illnesses, retirement etc are all types of thing that can be triggers, it can also be a ‘learned’ process. For instance if one of our parents suffered depression when we were young we could find ourselves picking up their behaviour patterns. Hormonal changes, such as around adolescence, pregnancy or menopause can all contribute to depression and around 12% of men and up to 25% of women suffer from depression during their lifetimes – and this is on the increase.
Symptoms can include :
- Continually feeling ‘sad and blue’
- Feelings of desperation and despondency
- Low self esteem
- Crying for no apparent reason
- Feeling guilty for no apparent reason
- Snappy, irritable and intolerant
- Lack of motivation
- Inability to make decisions
- Lifeless
- Self harming or suicidal thoughts
- Anxiety
- Diminished sex drive
- Poor concentration
- Appetite changes (increase or decrease)
- IBS or constipation
- Aches, pains, often suffering from colds
- Sleep patterns (ie. problems getting off to sleep or waking in the early hours of the morning). Also can be the opposite (sleeping too much)
- Job satisfaction / poor work output
- Avoiding social contact / withdrawing from society
- Family relationships break down
Depression is consequently a widely experienced emotional disorder. Everyone knows someone who has suffered with it. Having depression is not a sign of weakness, but those that have it and take time off work are often labelled as weak, or letting the side down, by colleagues and managers. However, living through depression can often makes a person stronger, and more sensitive. Those suffering with depression are often asked “What have you got to be depressed about ? ”. Younger people are frequently told “You have your whole life ahead of you,” though internally they may be feeling that they have no life at all – which in turn can stop them from seeking help, by intensifying their feelings of guilt, thus making recovery harder. Because depression can therefore affect everyone, it follows that just because you may be financially rich you are not necessarily happy.
I provide an effective therapy for depression of all types: clinical depression, ante-natal and post-natal depression. A combination of Hypnotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is used, which has proved to be effective in bringing about relief from these disorders. The number of sessions required (usually 6 – 9) will be discussed during the consultation.