Depression

We all experience periods of feeling “down” in our lives. However, if the feelings don’t go away or become so bad they interfere with your everyday life, you might be suffering from depression. At Alleviate we use a form of counselling called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to tackle the negative thinking patterns that feed low mood and show you step by step, effective strategies for successfully beating depression. While using the more traditional therapies to help you understand the root cause of your depression. Everyone’s experience of depression varies, but there are some common signs and symptoms. It’s important to remember that these symptoms can be part of life’s normal lows. But the more symptoms you have, the stronger they are, and the longer they’ve lasted—the more likely it is that you’re dealing with depression. When these symptoms are causing problems in your life, getting help can strengthen your ability to beat depression.

Symptoms and Signs

How Can Counselling Help?

When a person is depressed, things can seem hopeless and out of control, but with the right help, it can be possible to turn things around. Counselling can help those suffering from depression to understand the patterns of negative thinking and help regain feelings of positivity and control.

What are the Benefits of Counselling and Psychotherapy for Depression?

At Alleviate Counselling and Psychotherapy we have helped many people overcome a wide range of symptoms such as: low mood, difficulty concentrating, irritability, social withdrawal, suicidal thoughts, pessimism, lethargy, sleeplessness, oversleeping, fatigue, low motivation, loss of sex drive, hopelessness, changes in appetite, lack of pleasure. Counselling can help by assisting in

• Discovering steps you can take to address the cause of depression and rebuild happiness
• Understanding how particular behaviours can fuel symptoms and how to change these
• Learning how to stop negative automatic thoughts
• Discovering proven strategies that can stop depressive symptoms from taking over
• Learning how you can rebuild happiness and fulfilment in your life
• Discovering how to develop a tool kit you can use to prevent depression occurring in future

Post-natal depression

It is perfectly normal for new mothers to feel emotional, vulnerable and sensitive after their baby is born. Some mothers may feel confused about their feelings- that they should be feeling overjoyed and instantly in love with their baby. This is not always the case; there are understandable reasons for perhaps feeling not like that. For example, a difficult labour, birth, a traumatic delivery which can leave a new mother feeling exhausted and possibly unfulfilled of the expectations they may have had. Don’t forget there is no training course for motherhood, it is something that new mothers have to learn for themselves and at this time in their lives they sometimes need to be mothered themselves.

Postnatal Depression is a recognised and treatable condition which affects approximately one in five mothers. It can affect anyone irrespective of background and can occur straight after delivery but often does not get acknowledged or recognised until later on. The most common signs and symptoms of PND are low mood, anxiety, unable to look forward to anything, lack of motivation and extreme tiredness. Some mothers describe the feeling of having a foggy or woolly head and that they feel quite different to how they did before. Obviously many new mothers feel extremely tired but combined with other symptoms which are causing her distress or problems, may be a sign of PND. High anxiety may lead to panic attacks which are very common with PND but can also be very frightening.

Counselling can provide a safe space to discuss your feelings, come to understand them better and to learn new ways of looking at and coping with situations. There are a variety of different approaches that can be used, but these will generally either help you understand what’s happening and how to alter your behaviour in the here and now (like cognitive behavioural therapy, which focuses on the interactions between your thoughts and behaviours) or understand the issue in terms of your past experiences, and how unresolved feelings relating to your own childhood may be affecting you (as in psychodynamic counselling).