Definition
Depression refers to a collection of symptoms that impact how we think, feel and behave. Depression is often referred to as a ‘mood disorder’ as it is characterized by a persistent and overwhelming low mood and/or feeling completely numb.
Important tips about depression
People may have a vulnerability to experience depression due to combination of biological, personality and interpersonal factors.
These experiences can leave a person unable to function, sometimes to the point of not being able get out of bed, shower, or eat for days on end.
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People experience mood disorders because of a combination factors that are not their fault.
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It is vital to understand that if a person is clinically depressed, they cannot just ‘snap out of it’ or ‘think positively’.
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Clinical depression however, is characterized by symptoms that last at least 2 weeks, for most of the day nearly every day, and cause significant distress.
When a highly stressful events occur, a person can develop a pattern of thinking and feeling that may perpetuate the symptoms of depression and lead to further periods of depression later on down the track.
Symptoms of Depression
Treatment
Wellbeing strategies can be incorporated into our lives to keep ourselves strong. These may include meditation, exercise/active lifestyle, a balanced diet, social connectedness, gratitude, expressive writing and a good sleeping routine.
Psychodynamic Therapy, helps people review emotions, thoughts, early-life experiences, and beliefs to gain insight into their lives and their present-day problems and to evaluate the patterns they have developed over time.
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) focuses on the unhelpful thinking styles and behaviors that can make depression last longer and feel more intense. CBT assumes a direct link between our thoughts, feelings, physiological reactions and behaviors. CBT is based on the understanding that thinking habits can be changed and we can learn how to change them. Depression is like a cycle of strong and overwhelming negativity that can be broken with help.
In Narrative therapeutic process clients are encouraged to share stories from their lives and these are then examined to determine possible external causes for the depression.
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