Are You Feeling Depressed?
- Are you feeling painfully “down”, fatigued and irritable?
- Have you become inactive and socially withdrawn?
- Do you feel worthless, guilty and hopeless?
- Have you gained or lost significant weight?
- Do you suffer with insomnia or sleep too much?
- Are you ready to feel better and start a new life?
How Do You Know If You Are Depressed?
When depressed, you probably feel sad and lethargic. At times, you become easily aggravated and hard to get along with. Plus, your sleep may be disturbed and you might be concerned about your change in weight. In addition, you have probably become more socially isolated. You may feel very isolated.
You may also feel helpless and think repeatedly about past painful experiences. And you probably feel angry and have temper outbursts. Sometimes you cannot concentrate well. Often, your energy feels low or depleted.
Depression Is a Common Experience
Most people suffer with depression and grief sometime in their life. It is a serious and growing problem worldwide and is the third most common health problem globally. Research suggests that 5 to 10% of the American population suffers with depression. That’s about 15 to 30 million people in the USA. You are not alone.
Depression may be temporary or it can become chronic. It effects children, adults and elders. Most people suffer too long because they do not seek treatment, hoping it will go away naturally. Meanwhile, they suffer needlessly.
Symptoms of Depression
Diagnostic symptoms of depression include a mixture of some of the following psychological, behavioral and physical features:
- Depressed mood
- Loss of interest in activities & hobbies
- Poor appetite or over-eating
- Significant weight gain or loss
- Insomnia or excessive sleeping
- Fatigue & loss of energy
- Low self-esteem & feelings of worthlessness
- Agitation, irritability & frustration
- Poor concentration & focus
- Difficulty making decisions
- Feelings of hopelessness, despair & guilt
- Negative and pessimistic attitude
- Increased aggression & substance abuse
- Reckless, dangerous & high-risk behaviors
- Psychotic symptoms – delusions & hallucinations
- Recurrent thoughts of death & suicide
Fortunately, participation in counseling for depression helps to decrease these painful emotional, mental, social and physical symptoms.
What Causes Depression?
There are a number of potential causes of depression. It may be due to: psychological reaction, underlying medical illness, medication side effect, family genetics passed-on across generations, chemical imbalance, lack of sunlight, and/or alcohol and illegal drug abuse. The causation of depression is often complex and a mixture of these potential reasons.
To determine why you are depressed, you need to be carefully assessed by a therapist or physician who knows how to evaluate the source of your type of depression so that you can follow the most appropriate type of treatment. Different types of depression respond differently to different methods of treatment.
Is Depression Counseling Helpful?
Yes! Depression is highly treatable. Many research studies confirm that individual and group psychotherapy can be very effective in overcoming depression. Depression counseling helps you to cope better and work your way out of the darkness.
Once you recognize that you are depressed, don’t wait to seek treatment. Don’t allow it to defeat you and undermine your lifestyle. Seek professional help to recover as soon as possible. There is nothing to be ashamed of.
What Can You Expect from Depression Counseling?
You can expect to overcome painful and debilitating depression through counseling. Symptoms can be significantly reduced and your life improved.
With effective treatment, you can experience relief, feel your heavy mood lift, restore your energy, gain a positive perspective on life and yourself, and feel grateful to feel alive again. The vast majority of depressed clients overcome their painful mood disorder and go on to live productive, energetic, social and fulfilling lifestyles.
If your life is becoming bleak and you are starting to believe that you will never recover and that life is not worth living, then you definitely need to seek professional help now. Don’t minimize your problem. Reach out for help before your misery gets worse. Don’t allow it to persist, take-over your life and limit your future. You won’t just “snap-out-of-it”. You can’t simply wish it away or shake it off.
Start therapy soon so it doesn’t become harder to recover. Hoping that it will spontaneously go away is not a good strategy to follow. Seek depression counseling for yourself as well as for your family, friends and co-workers who probably worry about you.
You can overcome your depression and live a better life. Take back control and stop being dominated by depressive feelings and thoughts. You deserve a gratifying life.
But Isn’t Therapy a Difficult, Expensive and Long Process?
Yes, it can definitely be a challenging, costly and time-consuming commitment. Depression is a serious disorder. It takes months to resolve significant psychological problems, losses and disappointments. But the engagement in counseling for depression is worthwhile because there are great rewards, such as feeling invigorated and heading toward a brighter future.
Therapy sessions are held weekly and could take 6 to 12 months to feel positive and stable again. Therapy takes courage, endurance and faith. Unfortunately, there are no rapid cures or fixes. What’s your alternative? To remain down and depressed?
Why Should You Engage in Therapy with Me?
As an experienced psychologist, I specialize in assessing, diagnosing and treating depression. This is not a “side-line” service of mine. I don’t promise or push for quick and shallow results. I strive for lasting recovery. I am trained in depression counseling and I have studied depression treatment for over 30 years. I have provided this treatment to many adolescents, adults, seniors and their loved one who are impacted by depressed family members.
I am committed to ensuring that all therapy sessions are valuable and productive. In therapy, I provide you with listening, direction, compassion, advice and feedback. I help you to maintain hope and to gain new insight and perspective on why you are depressed. Moreover, I can give you tools to overcome your depressed mood and other related symptoms.
Together, we can turn your life around.
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Don’t wait and suffer needlessly. Start treatment right away.
If you are struggling with depression,
Call Dr. Miller TODAY at 805-448-5053[/box]
