Do I have depression?

Many people may not realize they are depressed. Do you feel profoundly lonely or sad? Wanting to sleep all the time or maybe you can’t sleep. Changes to appetite, avoiding friends, family and activities you used to enjoy, are all signs of depression. Depression can be mild or severe, lasting a few months or years, and can happen for a number of different reasons or sometimes there is no clear reason. You may have experienced a distressing life event like a break-up, the loss of a friend, a job, a pet, a big life change such as children leaving the home, or a big disappointment. You may not know why you feel so down.

The good news is that counselling helps us understand where your depression comes from and identifies steps you can take to get better.

“Several different types of psychotherapies have been found to be effective in the treatment of adult depression, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT),” “ behavioral activation therapy (BAT)”, “interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)”, “problem-solving therapy (PST)”, “non-directive counseling”, “and brief psychodynamic therapy”.

Pim Cuijpers, Eirini Karyotaki, Leonore de Wit & David D. Ebert (2020) The effects of fifteen evidence-supported therapies for adult depression: A meta-analytic review, Psychotherapy Research, 30:3, 279-293, DOI: 10.1080/10503307.2019.1649732

To learn more about the clinical signs and symptoms of depression, visit the Canadian Association of Mental Health - Depression.

To address your depression now, let’s talk. Counselling can help. There may even be more to your depression than you realized, and it can get worse on its own. Please, don’t let that happen to you. I care and I’m here to help.