Feeling low for more than a few days? You’re not alone. Depression is estimated to affect one in six people. Thankfully, there is help at hand. We can all have short periods where we feel low for one reason or another. It is perfectly normal to feel this way and can even be thought of our way emotionally processing difficult events in our lives. However, depression tends to last longer, perhaps for weeks or even months.

Depression is a real illness with real symptoms and is definitely not a sign of weakness or something that you can simply “snap out of”. As well as low mood, there are many other common symptoms of depression which you may experience These include a sense of hopelessness or helplessness and feelings of numbness or emptiness.

You may find activities that you used to look forward no longer bring you pleasure or a sense of achievement. You may have lost interest in hobbies, socialising or sex. You may be struggling to get to sleep or stay asleep. Conversely, you might be sleeping a great deal more than usual, finding you are lacking energy and feeling tired all the time. Getting out of bed may be a real struggle or feel completely pointless.

Your normal eating patterns may suffer too: you could find that you lose your appetite or eat far more than you would usually eat. You could find yourself feeling irritable and frustrated, becoming short-tempered or more aggressive than usual. It is also very common to experience very negative thoughts about the world, yourself and others, to the point where you might even begin to have suicidal thoughts. All-in-all life can feel like an endless drudge of negative thoughts and feelings.

Psychological Therapy for Depression

Psychological treatments for depression, as recommended by NICE,  include “low intensity” CBT based treatments for mild to moderate depression. Where depression symptoms are more persistent or severe, “high intensity” CBT or Inter-Personal Therapy (IPT – a form of counselling) is recommended. Other forms of counselling are often used as an alternative.

Medication for Depression

Treatment for depression includes medications commonly known as anti-depressants. These are usually prescribed by your GP over a period of several months. They often take a while to have an impact upon mood and some people find they experience side effects as their bodies become accustomed to the medication.

A Flexible Approach to Depression Treatment

As a fully-trained and experienced therapist, I’m ready to help you with your depression, using a range of approaches, from CBT treatment of anxiety and stress management, to counselling and NLP-based treatments. Any or all of these can be used individually or in combination to provide a carefully-tailored treatment centred around you.

Treat Your Depression with Achieving Balance

Working together, we will develop a shared understanding of your depression including any possible triggers, symptoms and their impact, and what you are doing to cope. Using CBT we will look at how your thoughts, feelings and behaviours contribute to the maintenance of your depression. We will then be able to develop tools and strategies tailored specifically to your needs, together with different ways of thinking, which can help you to manage the symptoms better and stop depression having such an impact on your life.

If you are interested in a free, 20-minute consultation, please feel free to contact me on 020 7096 8854 or email me at martin@achievingbalance.co.uk. I am available from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Thursday, and Friday mornings.