Depression Counselors Lisle

Depression is more than just feeling sad. It is a psychological disorder characterized by a persistently depressed mood and loss of interest in the activities the sufferer once enjoyed. Depression is thought to result from changes in the sufferer’s brain function, which can be due to a combination of environmental stress sources.

Each year, about 7 percent of Americans are diagnosed with depression. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men.

Symptoms of Depression

It can be easy to overlook your depression symptoms. Depression has many symptoms, and you might experience only a few or many different symptoms sporadically. Symptoms include:

• Appetite changes;
• Changes in sleep patterns;
• Emotional changes, such as mood swings, sadness, crying, and irritability;
• Persistent fatigue;
• Physical pain without obvious causes, like joint aches and back pain;
• Fixation on past failures;
• A sense of worthlessness;
• A mental fog that makes it difficult to concentrate, make decisions, or remember important facts and details; and
• A loss of interest in the activities you previously enjoyed, whether that’s a loss of motivation to perform your job well or a loss of interest in your hobbies.

How Depression Can Impact your Life

Depression symptoms can have a severe impact on the sufferer’s life. These include:

• Causing him or her to become socially withdrawn, losing friendships;
• Apathy, which can negatively impact the sufferer’s career and put him or her at risk of facing financial hardship;
• Making him or her irritable or hostile, driving away relationships;
• Interrupting the victim’s sleep schedule, causing him or her to suffer the physical effects of sleep deprivation;
• Altering the sufferer’s appetite, potentially causing him or her to eat too much and face the health consequences of obesity or eat too little and suffer the effects of being underweight; and
• Drive the victim to end his or her life prematurely through suicidal thoughts.

Treating Depression

When an individual is diagnosed with depression, his or her treatment typically includes medication as well as therapy. Psychotherapy is often used to treat depression. Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is therapy between the patient and a counselor through which the patient explores the issues that contribute to his or her depression and identifies healthy ways to cope with them.

Sometimes, cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy are used to treat depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy involves changing the patient’s behaviors to enable him or her to handle the difficulties he or she faces more productively, and interpersonal therapy is a type of attachment-focused psychotherapy that aims to alter the sufferer’s destructive interpersonal patterns.

Work with an Experienced Naperville Counselor to Combat your Depression

When you are depressed, taking any step to change your situation can feel like it takes more effort than you can muster. But scheduling an appointment with a counselor is the only way to start working out of your depression and into a better lifestyle. Contact Counseling Works today to set up your first appointment with us and connect with a counselor who can help you through your depression.