CBT
for
depression
Please read this information carefully. It may help you recognize the symptoms of depression with which you are perhaps struggling. And, it may be your first step towards getting professional help for your problems with depression!
The word ‘depressed’ is a common everyday word. Someone might say “I’m depressed”, when in fact they feel sad or low. Such temporary feelings and mood states are normal. They reflect the common ups and downs of everyday life, and most people can deal with them without the need for professional support.
However, true depression, also called ‘clinical depression’, or a ‘depressive disorder’, is a very different matter. The person in question experiences depressed mood (feeling sad, empty, hopeless) most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks. This depressed mood affects how a person thinks, and behaves, and can also lead to problematic changes in the areas of eating and sleeping.
Depression often has a negative effect on the person’s relationships with important others: partner, children, friends and colleagues. What’s more: the symptoms of depression, and their consequences, interact with and strengthen each other, thereby creating a vicious, downward spiral that serves to maintain the depression.
Want
to
overcome
depression?
The word ‘depressed’ is a common everyday word. Someone might say “I’m depressed”, when in fact they feel sad or low. Such temporary feelings and mood states are normal. They reflect the common ups and downs of everyday life, and most people can deal with them without the need for professional support.
However, so called ‘clinical depression’, is a very different matter. If you are currently struggling with clinical depression, you will be feeling depressed (or sad, empty, hopeless) most of the time. Your depression will be affecting not only how you feel, but also how you think, and behave, and possibly also your appetite and sleep. Most likely, it’s also having a negative effect on your relationships with important others: (partner, children, friends and colleagues). What’s more, all these symptoms are interacting with and strengthening each other, creating a vicious circle, or downward spiral, that is keeping you ‘stuck’ in depression.
Psychonline4u can help you break the vicious circle of depression!
The main symptoms of depression
Clinical depression is a common and serious mental health condition. It is estimated that about 5 in 100 adults develop depression every year. An episode of depression that is serious enough to require treatment occurs in about 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 10 men, at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, some people have two or more episodes of depression at various times in their lives.
The nine symptoms associated with depression can be grouped into 2 main symptoms, of which a person must have at least one for an episode of depression to be diagnosed. These are: persistent sadness or low mood, sometimes with periods of crying; and/or loss of interest or pleasure in activities, even in activities that one normally enjoys.
In addition, there are 7 other common symptoms, namely: changes in sleep pattern (either loss of sleep, or sleeping too much); change in appetite (and often in weight), either increased or decreased; loss of energy, tiredness, fatigue; changes in movement (either slowing down, or the reverse: agitation); poor concentration, or indecisiveness (for example, finding it difficult to read, or do tasks); feelings of low self- esteem, worthlessness, excessive or inappropriate guilt; hopelessness, recurrent thoughts of death, sometimes developing into thoughts about (or even plans for) committing suicide.
For an episode of depression to be diagnosed, a person must have at least five of the above nine symptoms, with at least one of the two main symptoms. And, the symptoms must occur most of the time, on most days, and have lasted at least two weeks.
The level of severity of depression can vary from person to person. Four levels of severity are generally distinguished: (a) subthreshold depression; (b) mild depression; (c) moderate depression; and (d) severe depression. The level of depression is determined on the basis of the number of symptoms the person has, and the degree to which these interfere with their normal daily functioning.
Depression that is serious enough to requiere treatment occurs
The main symptoms of depression
Clinical depression is a common and serious mental health condition. It is estimated that about 5% adults develop depression every year. An episode of depression that is serious enough to require treatment occurs in about 25% women, and 10% men, at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, some people suffer from recurring episodes of depression.
There are two main symptoms of depression, of which a person must have at least one for an episode of depression to be diagnosed. These are: persistent sadness or low mood, sometimes with periods of crying. And/or loss of interest or pleasure in activities, even in activities that one normally enjoys.
There are seven other common symptoms:
- Changes in sleep pattern;
- Change in appetite/weight;
- Loss of energy/ tiredness;
- Changes in movement;
- Poor concentration/indecisiveness;
- Feelings of worthlessness/guilt;
- Hopelessness, recurrent thoughts of death, sometimes developing into thoughts/plans about committing suicide.
For an episode of depression to be diagnosed, a person must have at least five of the above nine symptoms, with at least one of the two main symptoms. And, the symptoms must occur most of the time, on most days, and have lasted at least two weeks.
The level of severity of depression can vary from person to person. This is determined on the basis of the number of symptoms the person has, and the degree to which these interfere with their normal daily functioning.
Depression that is serious enough to require treatment occurs:
Breaking the vicious circle
Taken together, the symptoms of depression form a vicious circle in which a person can feel hopelessly stuck. Left untreated, depression has an enormous impact, not only on the person who has it, but also on others around them.
Fortunately, it has now become clear that people experiencing symptoms of depression can greatly improve how they feel and behave by learning certain skills. These skills enable them to change recurring negative patterns in their way of thinking and behaving, as well as how they respond to their negative thoughts and feelings. PsychOnline4u can help you learn the skills with which you can, step by step, break the vicious circle of depression and bounce back to mental health!
Lots of psychological research has shown that the use of top-quality self-help resources, based on the proven effective approach called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), works well for mental health problems, such as depression. Research also shows that the benefits can be even greater when these self-help resources are used together with support from a professional who has been trained in CBT.
This combined approach is called guided CBT, and this is our core business at PsychOnline4u! Guided CBT is intended to help persons experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems to help themselves, so that they become, in a sense, their own ‘therapist’. So, PsychOnline4u is about helping you to help yourself!
Breaking the vicious circle
Left untreated, depression has an enormous impact, not only on you, but also on others around you. Fortunately psychological research has shown that CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) can be highly effective for treating depression. Our therapy can help you improve how you feel and behave, by learning certain key psychological skills. Psychonline4u can help you break the vicious circle of your depression so that you that you can bounce back and reclaim your mental health.
At Psychonline4u we make CBT accessible by offering it in live online sessions with an experienced psychologist. You do your therapy in the convenience and privacy of your own home, with no travelling time or expenses involved. Research has shown that online therapy is effective for those who want to learn how to deal with their depression in a more effective way, and who are willing to do this learning online.
Overcome depression
To learn more about depression, and about how PsychOnline4u uses online guided CBT to help people break the vicious circle of their depression, so that they can bounce back to mental health, you can request our free e-book ‘Overcome Depression’.
Overcome depression
To learn more about depression, and about how PsychOnline4u can help you break the vicious circle of your depression, and reclaim good mental health, with CBT, you can request our free e-book ‘Overcome DEPRESSION’
If you are wondering whether our online support might be a suitable approach for your particular problems of depression, you can request a (once-off) free 15 minute online consultation (by voice or video, whichever you prefer) to discuss this, as well as any other specific queries you may have. Once again, you can do so by using either the contact form, or the email address, on the website.
TIP: But, before you request our free 15 minute consultation, we think it would probably be handy if you first read the information in our free e-book ‘CBT for depression’. That way, you can make your queries more specific.
Finally: the scope of guided CBT for reducing mental health problems such as the symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety disorders, depression, or trauma, is obvious. Research has shown that self-help resources, based on CBT, can be effective in tackling these problems, and even more so when these resources are combined with support from a professional trained in CBT.
However, some people struggle with severe levels of these psychological problems. In those cases, guided CBT will not be adequate in addressing their mental health needs. More intensive forms of treatment will usually be required, of the kind provided in regular face-to-face therapy!
That’s why we, at PsychOnline4u, first do an initial assessment: to identify both the nature and severity of a person’s mental health problem, so that we can decide whether our guided CBT would be sufficient, or whether more intensive treatment is required.
If our assessment indicates that the latter is indeed the case, then we will discuss this with the person in question, and advise them to seek more intensive treatment. And we will do this, as much as possible, in close cooperation with their GP. This is explained in more detail on the website, in the information about Assessment, and also in our Terms and Conditions.
If you have any queries, you can request a free (20 min) online consultation with our psychologist. Please contact us by using the contact form.
There is convincing evidence from psychological research that online therapy, such as CBT, PET and EMDR, can be effective in treating anxiety, trauma and depression. However, some people struggle with severe forms of these problems. In those cases, online therapy will not be adequate in addressing their mental health needs. More intensive forms of treatment will be required.
That’s why we, at Psychonline4u, first do an initial assessment to identify both the nature and severity of a person’s mental health problems. That way, we can decide whether online therapy would be sufficient, or whether more intensive treatment is required.
If our assessment indicates the latter, then we will, of course, discuss this with you and advise you to seek more intensive treatment. And we will do this, as much as possible, in close cooperation with your GP. This is explained in the information about Assessment, and also in our Terms and Conditions.
