Depression

The psychologists of Greene Psychology Group in Raleigh, North Carolina understand what it means to suffer from depression. We know how this common condition affects your daily life and makes achieving personal and professional goals seem impossible. But through a comprehensive evaluation and psychotherapy, we can help you work through your symptoms and regain psychological wellness in your life.

What is depression?

Depression is a real medical diagnosis. This psychological condition affects how you feel and think. It also changes how you act, creating a loss of interest in your daily routine and activities you once enjoyed. When you feel depressed, you perform poorly at work, in school and even in your home responsibilities. The condition can even affect you physically, bringing with it a list of physical symptoms. Your depressive symptoms can range from mild to severe. Some common symptoms include:

Sadness and low mood

Lost interest

Appetite and weight changes

Trouble sleeping

Low energy or fatigue

Slowed speech or movements

Feelings of guilt or worthlessness

Thinking and concentration problems

Pacing, handwringing or other purposeless physical actions

Thinking about death or suicide

In the United States, one in 15 adults suffer depression in a typical year. The condition can occur for anyone and any time but is most common in people ages 15 to 28, particularly in women. You have a higher risk of experiencing it yourself if your parents, siblings or other first-degree blood relatives have a history of the condition.

More than Sadness or Grief

Many people confuse depression with extreme sadness or grief, such as from the grief that occurs with a loved one's death, relationship ending or job loss. The feelings you experience in response to a jarring event like these are difficult but not the same as depression. However, the conditions do share similar traits like intense sadness and possible withdrawal from favorite activities.

Differences between depression and grief include:
Grief causes waves of painful feelings interspersed with good thoughts or memories. But in depression, you feel markedly less pleasure or positive feelings for a minimum of two weeks.

When you experience grief, you also maintain positive self-esteem. To the contrary, depression causes you to feel worthless. You can even experience feelings of self-loathing.

Although grief can make you think about your mortality and even lead to fantasies about death, depression leads to more serious thoughts. If you are depressed, you may think about actually ending your life and how to do so. You possibly feel you do not deserve to continue living or maybe you feel unable to keep dealing with your negative feelings and want to "give up."

An experienced psychologist at Greene Psychology Group will help you understand whether you have grief or depressive symptoms. We will help you through support, therapy and specific treatments proven to help relieve your symptoms.

Am I at risk for depression?

Anyone can suffer this mental health problem. It does not discriminate, even affecting people who seem to "have it all" in their lives. However, you may be at an increased risk for developing the condition if certain factors are true in your life.

Risk factors include:
• Biochemistry
• Genetics, such as if one of your close blood relatives suffers the condition
• Personality, particularly if you suffer low self-esteem, handle stress poorly or have a negative view of the world
• Environment, such as if you experience exposure to violence or abuse
• Socioeconomics, if you live in poverty or experience high financial stress

While none of these are definite causes of depression in all people who suffer them, these factors make you more vulnerable to the mental health condition. Luckily, treatment is only a phone call away. You can start improving how you feel, think and behave through psychological counseling at Greene Psychology Group in Raleigh, North Carolina.

How will Greene Psychology Group treat my depression?

Depression is very treatable. In fact, almost everyone seeking treatment for this condition gains relief from their symptoms.

When you first visit Greene Psychology Group, one of our experienced therapists will conduct a diagnostic evaluation. This diagnosis comes from a one-on-one interview, health history review and other testing, as needed. In the evaluation, you will answer the psychologist's questions about your symptoms, family history and other facets of your background. Ultimately, through these questions your therapist develops their diagnosis and a comprehensive treatment plan.

Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is one of the most common treatment methods for depression. Your treatment may include specialized therapies, as well. Come specialized therapies include:
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Individual counseling
• Teletherapy or online therapy
• Anxiety treatment
• Stress management
• Anger management
• Trauma therapy
• Mindfulness

Cognitive behavioral therapy is particularly helpful for many people with depression. This type of therapy helps you see how your negative thinking patterns affect your behaviors. Through CBT, you can learn how to change these thought patterns and respond more effectively to challenges in your life.

Your therapies may center on individual counseling, but can include your family or significant other as part of family or couples therapy. This type of therapy helps you work on issues in your relationships for a healthier and more supportive home life. Group therapy involves people also suffering depression or related mental health challenges, so you can learn among peers and from each others' experiences.

You can typically expect your treatment to last anywhere from several weeks to months of therapy. But you can also expect to feel major improvement in daily life in as few as 10 sessions.

Schedule Your Evaluation and Treatment Today

If you suffer symptoms of depression or other mental health conditions, there is no reason to continue suffering alone. You can work through these life troubles and achieve significant self-improvement with the help of an experienced psychologist. Schedule your teletherapy, online visit or in-person counseling by calling Greene Psychology Group of Raleigh, NC today at 919-205-5339.