What is Depression?
Clinical Depression is a mood disorder with the following symptoms:
- Low mood, persisting each day
- Anhedonia (loss of pleasure in activities)
- Tiredness, often present on waking up
- Lethargy, procrastination and demotivation
- Repetitive thoughts associated with guilt, worthlessness and failure
- Poor concentration; difficulty in making decisions
- Sleep disturbance
- Appetite changes
- Loss of libido
Suicidal thoughts (or thoughts about dying) may be present in some cases.
Depression may be a short term reaction to demoralising events, or it may be a long-term pattern persisting since teenage years.
A milder form of depression is known as dysthymia, in which the individual experiences low moods, which may or may not be seasonal (Seasonal Affective Disorder – SAD).
Psychotherapy for depression
Psychotherapy seeks to reverse learned helplessness, overcome depressive thoughts, develop self-efficacy, and activate behaviours that improve mood.
Using any of the following techniques/approaches in combination
- Investigating the origin of learned helplessness in recent/early life events
- Thought defusion
- Thought challenge
- Thought replacement
- Developing coping mechanisms for life problems
- Exercise programs
- Occupational therapy
- Behavioural activation
Articles on Depression Therapy
View articles on psychotherapy and depression here.
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