Everyone has moments of feeling unhappy. That is natural. But clinical depression goes beyond that. It is a disease.But you can treat it.
I would like to offer some advice and tips that I have gained from my experience as a therapist in San Diego.
So what makes depression, clinical depression?
First off, the person may feel as if they are hopelessly sad.When a person feels as if there is no point to anything.Or life isn’t worth living. Which could lead to feelings or thoughts of suicide.
This usual lasts for two weeks or more.When the depression starts to last that long, then you are moving into a state of clinical depression.
And it is when you start hitting that point, you need to see a therapist.Don’t hit that point and leave this condition untreated.Believe me, from my experience as a depression counselor I know.
So once you find yourself at that point, there are several things you have to do. Because sometimes imbalances in your body or chemistry in your brain can cause depression, you may need to treat it medically.You would use antidrepessant drugs to treat it.
Of course as a counselor, I prefer to treat it through depression counseling.A good counselor helps a person understand and come to grips the the causes of their depression.
They can also try other forms of therapy like cognitive behavior therapy which addresses how you think. The goal being to question your negative thoughts and turn them positive.
A therapist can also help you use relaxation techniques.If the depression is stress related, a good way to fight stress is relaxation.
Most of all a depression counselor will be the most effective person to find out what is causing the depression.
They are good in finding out if there was something that happened recently that may cause this.They can look and see if there is something in the past that is causing this. Or they can find out if it is caused by something going on in your body. Whether it is some physiological change.
Depression is a treatable condition. But without knowing the cause, you can’t treat it.This where finding someone that is a good counselor or therapist will help tremendously.
