Depression is a prevalent mental health issue. If you have depression, it’s essential to know that you are not alone. It can affect people in many different ways, and some symptoms can easily be not recognised; it is common for people to end up not getting the right help until much later on.
How Do I Know If I Have Depression?
Depression doesn’t just affect your mind; it can affect your body, mood and behaviour. But how do you know if you could have depression? Depression can take some of the following forms:
- Constantly feeling tired,
- Mood swings,
- Anger and irritability,
- Losing interest in your hobbies that you once enjoyed,
- Feeling of hopelessness,
- Phantom aches and pains.
If you do experience any or all of these symptoms, then it is possible that you could have depression, but it could also be another issue. Please make sure to go to your GP to check there aren’t any other health issues.
There may be different reasons for depression; it can be situational, like bereavement, losing your job, having a baby, or going through a divorce. Depression may also be set off at different times of the year, like in winter when it gets colder and there is a lack of sunlight.
How Can Counselling Help?
Depression counselling differs depending on the person, but it’s all about acknowledging your difficulties and focusing on why you feel the way you do about those problems.
Counselling can help you by working on self-acceptance, having strategies to cope with your feelings, and moving on in the future with the right tools.
Different kinds of therapy can help you:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: This will help you learn how to manage your depression by changing your initial mindset and behaviour.
- Person-Centred Therapy: This will help you uncover the root of your issues and see how those could link to your depression.
- Interpersonal Therapy: This will help you understand how the relationships in your life affect you negatively or positively.
What to Expect in Counselling for Depression?
Counselling for depression are sessions that you would regularly attend with your therapist. You would be able to choose whichever way would work for you best, whether a one-on-one session, phone calls or a video session.
Therapists are trained to explore different emotions and are aware that you may feel different ways emotionally during the sessions and will help you investigate those feelings further.
These counselling sessions require commitment and sticking to what you and your therapist have organised because that timetable would be designed around the best way to help you. The sessions vary in length depending on the therapist, but most last around 50 minutes each. Most people have around 8-12 sessions, but that can vary depending on the individual and the severity of the problem.
It’s all about working out what’s best for you and getting you the best possible help.
