Depression

What are the symptoms?

Below is a list of signs and symptoms. This service is for you if are experiencing any of the following:

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. A bleak outlook—nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.
• Loss of interest in daily activities. You don’t care anymore about former hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure.
• Appetite or weight changes. Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
• Sleep changes. Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping.
• Anger or irritability. Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone gets on your nerves.
• Loss of energy. Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete.
• Self-loathing. Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. You harshly criticise yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.
• Reckless behaviour. You engage in escapist behaviour such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.
• Concentration problems. Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.
• Unexplained aches and pains. An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.

How we can help you...

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is a time-limited, problem-focused intervention that teaches how to change unhelpful or unrealistic thoughts and how to learn new behaviours. Treatment involves guiding you to develop more constructive and balanced ways of coping with stressors. Ideally, this will eliminate or minimise your upsetting behaviour or disorder altogether. CBT focuses on how to improve your state of mind right now, rather than on looking back on the past.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that stems from traditional behaviour therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. ACT teaches clients to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their inner emotions and, instead, accept that these deeper feelings are appropriate responses to certain situations that should not prevent them from moving forward in their lives. With this understanding, clients begin to accept their issues and hardships and commit to making necessary changes in their behaviour, regardless of what is going on in their lives, and how they feel about it.

Schema Therapy. A schema is a pattern of thought and/or behaviour; a schema may, for example, create a framework, a filter through which an individual perceives the world. In schema therapy, a schema is considered to be an early maladaptive coping mechanism, they are patterns that develop as a result of needs not being met in childhood. Schema therapy supports the idea that these patterns can continue to affect individuals into adulthood and cause emotional distress and relational issues. Early maladaptive schemas may take the form of emotional memories; they can also include physical sensations. Schema therapy aims to help clients find ways to ensure their emotional needs are met in ways that are healthy and do not cause distress.

If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of depression, our Psychologists at Thriving Minds Psychology Clinic are here to help. P: 0428 088 671.