Depression is a serious condition. Not to be confused with simply feeling a bit down or having a low mood due to adverse circumstances. Depression can strike at any time and seriously affect the lives of sufferers and their ability to function for short or prolonged periods of time.
According to the mental health charity Mind, a third of all people living in Britain will or have suffered from depression. It’s a staggering amount when you think about it, and one that the Office for National Statistics is showing a year on year increase for. For example, in 2016 19.7% of Brits said they had experienced anxiety or depression, a 1.4% increase since the year before.
The statistics are worrying, but many may still be wondering just what exactly is depression and how it can be overcome?
On a medical and scientific level, depression is simply a disturbance in mood. What this can actually mean for sufferers, however, is feelings of sadness, uselessness, self-doubt, loneliness and disappointment, as well as guilt, paranoia and a loss of appetite and motivation. As well as leaving sufferers with the above symptoms, it can also affect sleep patterns, personal relationships and the ability to work, and whilst it can be caused by events, some people are simply more susceptible to depressive episodes.
How to overcome depression
Regardless of how and why depression may strike you, it’s important that you look after yourself and take steps to confront it and overcome some of the more damaging symptoms where possible. If you have a mild or moderate depression then you should be able to make significant progress towards the recovery of your mental health with the range of talking therapies we offer. At Select Psychology, we can help to tackle depression with our comprehensive services offering a range of therapies including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or counselling.
Both are forms of talking treatment, and, as a private psychologist in Newcastle, we’ve seen positive results from this form of treatment. CBT is a more specialised form of talking treatment that focuses on the effects that depression has on your life right now, examining how it manifests and what triggers can lead to episodes rather than personal history. CBT encourages those undergoing treatment to break patterns that can contribute to depression, as well as looking for positive solutions to situations and circumstances that are causing anxiety and starting the descent into depression. Using CBT, you can help make seemingly insurmountable problems more manageable and find new ways to cope and get on top of your depression as much as possible.
Select Psychology offers CBT and counselling (as well as other treatments to help beat depression) from our premises in Tynemouth, just a 20-minute drive from Newcastle, as well as clinics throughout the North East. If you need a private psychologist in Newcastle, or would like to learn more about any of our treatments, then please call us and speak to a member of our team or book a consultation. They will put your mind at rest and get you on the path to managing depression and achieving good mental health.