Pretending everything is fine?

What is Depression?

Depression is among the most common mental health concerns. The typical symptoms of depression include persistent sadness, feeling down, and irritability or anger. Often there is a loss in typical areas of interest and a change in sleep and/or appetite. In the most severe cases, a person may experience thoughts of self harm.

When depression symptoms interfere with a your life or cause health or safety concerns, it’s time to seek help from a trained mental health professional. Seeing a therapist, counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist is highly recommended. Often it is a good idea to rule out a medical cause of personal depression with a medical physician.

Depression – Common Signs & Symptoms

Everyone’s depression looks a little different. However, some of the common signs of depression include:

• Hopelessness

• Loss of motivation

• Thoughts of harming oneself

• Suicidal thoughts

• Fatigue

• Decreased concentration and focus

• Social withdrawal

• Avoiding situations at home or work

What are some things to watch for

if I’m depressed?

Depression is an illness that changes how you think. Here are some of the ways depression can influence how you think about others, yourself and your life:

All-or-nothing thinking – Looking at things in black-or-white categories, with no middle ground (“If everything is not perfect, I’m a total failure.”)

Overgeneralization – Generalizing from a single negative experience, expecting it to hold true forever (“I had a bad date, I’ll never find anyone.”)

The mental filter – Ignoring positive events and focusing on the negative. Noticing the one thing that went wrong, rather than all the things that went right. (“I got the last question on the test wrong. I’m an idiot.”)

Diminishing the positive – Coming up with reasons why positive events don’t count (“She said she had a good time on our date, but I think she was just being nice.”)

Jumping to conclusions – Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. Trying to act like a mind reader (“He must think I’m pathetic”) or a fortune teller (“I’ll be stuck in this dead-end job forever.”)

Emotional reasoning – Believing that the way you feel reflects reality (“I feel like such a loser. Everyone must be laughing at me!”)

Depression Treatment Can Help

Depression recovery can feel like a Catch-22. The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. You don’t have to do this alone.

Soothing with too much

food, drink, or TV?

Sometimes we develop coping methods to escape negative feelings, criticism, shame, guilt, or other discomfort. The longer you avoid or repress your feelings, the more likely you are to experience anxiety or depression.

Taking the first step is always the hardest. Making a commitment to yourself and forming an alliance with a professional therapist can help with gaining insight and making changes. We’ll discuss your symptoms, triggers and causes. We will explore your past including your earliest attachments and relationships. We will develop a plan that is best for you.  

You can overcome Depression

At the end of your counseling treatment for depression, you’ll walk away with a restored sense of worth. You will be more prepared to handle life’s demands. Most importantly, you’ll have tools that you can continue using well beyond the end of therapy.

Depression Treatment in Raleigh/Durham NC

Taking the first step is the hardest. You don’t have to fight depression alone. Counseling can be the next step on your path to recovery from depression symptoms. If you live in Raleigh or Durham, NC I’d like to help. Learn more about my affirming and non-judgemental approach to therapy before you start depression treatment.

What is therapy for depression like? Ready to feel like yourself again? Contact me today.

Jessica Revels Counseling

Counseling in Durham, NC

919.308.6039 jessica@jrevelscounseling.com