I work with clients who suffer from varying degrees of depression in my Irvine office. We all have times where we may feel depressed, sad, hopeless, or even worthless—this may occur following the death of a loved one, a recent breakup, moving away from home for the first time, or the loss of a job to name a few. However, these can be situational and with time, you may no longer feel as depressed about these things. Depression is something deeper that may not go away even with the passing time—it is something that is persistent. Major depression can be debilitating and can affect the way you think, feel, and act.
What are symptoms of depression?
- Feeling sad
- Lost of pleasure in doing things you use to enjoy doing
- Poor sleep (i.e. sleeping too much, not sleeping at all)
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Gaining too much weight or losing too much
Causes of Depression
There can be multiple causes of depression, including having a genetic predisposition or a triggering event, like the death of a loved one or a recent breakup. If depression runs in your family, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will suffer from depression. When a triggering event does occur, and it can be anything, sadness can kick in. People can have different experiences that lead to depressed feelings.
Treatments for Depression
In therapy, you and I will explore how your depression possibly began and see if there have been any similar patterns in the past. We will evaluate your thoughts and see where there can be opportunities to change them to healthier and positive ones. This type of treatment is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. We also explore (and experiment) different kinds of coping tools that you can use when you are feeling depressed. What works for one person may not necessarily work for you, so I tailor treatment to fit you and not the other way around.