Unhappiness | Depression Counselling in London

Depression is common – one in five people become depressed at some point in their lives. There are many types of depression and many reasons people feel depressed.

The word ‘depression’ is sometimes used to describe feelings of low mood which affect us all from time to time. Feeling sad is a normal reaction to experiences that are upsetting, stressful or difficult; these feelings will usually pass.

However, depression is an illness with intense feelings of persistent sadness, helplessness and hopelessness that are accompanied by physical effects such as sleeplessness, loss of energy and other symptoms (see below).

These feelings can last for an extended period of time and negatively affect a person’s quality of life. Sometimes people may not realise how depressed they are, especially if they have been feeling this way for a long time. Low moods associated with depression can be mild, moderate or severe and last for weeks or months, rather than days.

People with a family history of depression are more likely to experience depression themselves. Depression is an illness with real consequences to well-being and is not a form of weakness or failure. Many famous leaders have suffered from depression including Winston Churchill, the American president Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.

How can depression counselling help?

Depression is not something you can ‘snap out of.’ Anyone can experience these persistent low feelings and if you’ve been diagnosed with depression, you may wonder what is happening to you. You may be concerned that the depressive feelings will never end. You may notice that depression has affected many different areas of your life – family relationships, your performance at work, your physical health and in how you view yourself and the world.

The first step in fighting depression is to understand what it is, how it affects you and what may be causing it. There are several approaches and techniques our experienced depression counsellors can use to help you understand and alleviate the symptoms you are facing.

There are many symptoms of depression and these are different for different people. Common symptoms include:

• Loss of energy
• Persistent sadness
• Loss of self confidence or self esteem
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Being unable to enjoy things that are normally pleasurable or interesting
• Undue feelings of guilt or worthlessness
• Feelings of helplessness or hopelessness
• Sleeping problems – too much sleep or too little
• Avoiding people / distancing oneself from others
• Loss of appetite
• Self harm
• Using more alcohol or drugs than usual
• Crying, sometimes inexplicably
• Losing interest in life / feeling unmotivated
• Not coping with things that used to be manageable
• Feeling restless or impatient / a general sense of boredom
• Being preoccupied with negative thoughts
• Having a bleak, pessimistic view of the future / a feeling of pointlessness
• Losing interest in sex or intimacy
• Thinking about death or suicide

Depression appears more often in women than men. About 1 in 4 women will suffer from depression compared to 1 in 10 men. Various reasons have been suggested for this difference. One thought is that men are less likely than women to report the symptoms of depression to their GPs. Another belief is that various social and biological factors predispose women to depression.

Men are often less likely than women to acknowledge difficult emotions associated with depression. Men sometimes turn to alcohol, over-working or aggression to mask depressive feelings. Though depression in men is less common than in women, suicide in men is several times greater than that in women. British men are three times more likely than British women to die by suicide and suicide remains the most common cause of death in men under the age of 35.

Talk to us about therapy for depression and unhappiness

For those suffering from depression or persistent feelings of unhappiness, talking with an experienced counsellor who will listen and understand can have a significant impact on how you are feeling and how you cope with the ups and downs of everyday life.

Counselling for depression is available in our private rooms in Oxford Circus and in Covent Garden. First appointments last about an hour and are usually available within one week. We understand that talking about depression can be, for some people, very difficult.

If depression or unhappiness is interfering with your quality of life and you feel ready to discuss your feelings with one of our qualified therapists in London, please feel free to get in touch with us to make your first appointment.

Someone is said to be suffering from depression when low feelings don’t go away quickly and become so bad they interfere with everyday life.