We all feel ‘down’ at times but when that becomes an ongoing condition leaving you sad, apathetic, unmotivated and overly anxious that s not just the blues but depression.
Major depression often coincides with anxiety and manifests through physical symptoms such as constant tiredness, lack of appetite and sex drive, overeating, broken sleep and aches and pains. And the emotional symptoms can range from continuous low spirits to extreme suicidal tendencies in the sufferer.
According to the NHS, depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days. While some people think depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition, they are wrong. Depression is a real illness with real symptoms but the good news is that with the right treatment and support, most people can make a full recovery.
Treatment for depression involves either medication or talking treatments, or usually a combination of the two. The kind of treatment that your doctor recommends will be based on the type of depression you have.
Depression affects young or old and just this week the Duchess of Cambridge made a plea for action on children’s mental health and emotional well being.
She said both her and Prince William have seen how many children struggle to cope with issues such as bullying, bereavement and family breakdown, which can lead to depression, anxiety, addiction and self-harm.
“Both William and I sincerely believe that early action can prevent problems in childhood from turning into larger ones later in life.”
Kate is patron for the Place2Be charity which provides emotional help and support in schools and is organising the first ever Children’s Mental Health Week.
Catherine Roche, chief executive of Place2Be, said: “By raising awareness of the benefits of getting support early for mental health issues, we hope to change attitudes and help reduce the risk of more complex and serious problems when those children reach adulthood.”
In older life, writes psychotherapist and life coach Christine Webber on the netdoctor website, depression can have adverse effects on any activity that requires energy, spontaneity and good co-ordination – and that includes sex. Sadly, she says, lots of individuals who are depressed often appear to lose interest in sex.
In men, the general damping down of brain activity causes feelings of tiredness and hopelessness, which may be associated with a loss of libido and in women this diminished brain activity tends to be associated with a lack of interesting sex.
She adds that these problems tend to diminish as the depressive illness gets better. Indeed, renewed interest in sex may be the first sign of recovery from depression.
One form of treatment which has proved successful in treating anxiety and depression is hypnotherapy and its advantage in that no drugs are used.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) has 1,800 therapists on its register and many of them have an approved track record of success in treating depression.
A hypnotherapist, who has experience of working with people to overcome depression, can help the sufferer to understand the impact of the past, to focus on the present in order to work towards the desired future. In the main NCH members would treat mild and moderate depression with hypnotherapy. Some have specialist training and will work with severe, clinical and bi-polar depression if it is within their sphere of competence.
NCH hypnotherapist Paul Howard says: “By using hypnotherapy we are able to help the sufferer reframe the thoughts that are leading them to a cycle of depressive thinking and therefore enabling them to lift the veil of depression.”
Referring to treatment involving medication, he added: “Regardless of the drugs used to counter depression they’re not going to have a long term effect unless the underlying though processes are addressed.”
If you are feeling overly anxious or know a young person who is suffering from depression, contact a hypnotherapist near you by using the NCH directory.
A hypnotherapist, who has experience of working with people to overcome depression, can help the sufferer to understand the impact of the past, to focus on the present in order to work towards the desired future. In the main NCH members would treat mild and moderate depression with hypnotherapy. Some have specialist training and will work with severe, clinical and bi-polar depression if it is within their sphere of competence.
