Depression And Sadness: When To See A Counsellor

Depression is a common and severe medical condition that can negatively affect your mental health and how you think and react to the situation. Many people often get confused between depression and Sadness, often taking them lightly.

Go through the article to get in-depth knowledge about depression, what the symptoms are, and how with the help of counselling, you can overcome depression. 

How is Depression Not Just Sadness?

Depression can affect physically as well as mentally. It may ruin your relationships with others. Depression can greatly impact a person’s behavioural pattern, such as losing interest in everything. 

Depression is not just Sadness. Everyone can experience being down in the dumps or sad at times. It is natural to go through an emotional roller coaster, and feel sad when experiencing disappointments, ups and downs, and setbacks in personal and professional, which is perfectly normal. 

Occasional mood swings such as feeling sad are not depression. With time, Sadness will eventually disappear, but depression can have a long-term impact on your life. It is quite normal to feel lonely at times. It is not always necessary to socialise; you can just relax in a quiet place to recharge yourself. But the constant feeling of staying aloof, not interacting with people, and wallowing in your own thoughts could be an indicator of clinical depression. It is recommended if these incidents of sadness continue for longer periods, seek help from a professional or call the Counselling helpline number. 

What Are Depression Symptoms?

If you or any of your loved one has any of these symptoms regularly, they may have depression. These symptoms include:

• Sadness

You may feel empty inside, hopeless, guilty, or sorry about what you have done in your past. 

• Anhedonia

It is a common symptom of clinical depression. You may feel that you no longer enjoy your favourite hobbies, movies, or sports or may not like anyone’s company. 

• Sleep problems

Depression can have a great impact on your sleeping schedule. You may not be able to sleep or feel sleepy all the time and not want to get out of bed. 

You can reach out to our counsellors and share your problems with them. Talk to the counsellor on free helpline number in case you’re experiencing any of these symptoms. 

• Lack of Energy

Usually, people feel sluggish or tired when they go through depression. You take a long time to process or react to a situation. 

• Neglect Self-Care

You stop caring about yourself or how you look or dress. You may stop taking a shower regularly. You may wear the same messy or wrinkled clothes all day long or let the laundry pile up. 

• Weight Problems

You may lose your appetite or drop pounds. You may crave junk or unhealthy food and gain weight. 

• Aches and pains

You may have body pain or aches in certain places, like your head or back, which don’t seem to have any physical cause. 

• Mind fog

You may face trouble in thinking clearly and remembering things. You may lose focus on conversations or tasks. 

• Suicidal thoughts

You may have suicidal thoughts. It is difficult for people to handle the emotional roller coaster and want to end their lives.

People going through depression may not experience all these symptoms or the same symptoms. However, if you or someone you know is going through a tough time or is facing these symptoms, we highly recommend you speak to a professional or seek help from a trained counsellor. 

Know Different Symptoms at Different Ages

Symptoms of depression don’t look the same in everyone. They can be quite different from one person to another, especially from one age group to another.

• Children

Depression is not very common in children under 12, but it does happen. Along with feeling sad or hopeless, a loss of interest in fun activities, changes in eating habits, weight gain or loss, anxiety, difficulties with family members, and avoiding social gatherings.  

Many factors can trigger depression in children, such as domestic violence, divorce, parental depression, and childhood trauma. 

• Teens

Mood swings are normal in the age group from 12 to 18. The teenage phase is a turning point in every human’s life. You may face problems at school, at home, or with friends. 

Unusual level of lashing out and irritability: feelings of anger, worthlessness, and extreme sensitivity are the major sign that you are going through depression. 

• Adults

Young adults ages 19 to 29 may develop depression because of major life transitions, lack of coping skills, poverty, trauma, work issues, and lack of moral support. 

Adults aged 30 to 60 may tend to have a lot going on, which can trigger depression. There can be multiple reasons, such as financial stress, isolation, work, relationship issues, dealing with major illnesses, and many responsibilities with no relief. Many people experience depression and Sadness during pregnancy. There can be many reasons behind depression, such as previous miscarriage history, domestic violence, and ups and downs in marital life. 

Depression is not a normal part of growing up or adulting in life. It is frequently overlooked and left untreated, which could severely impact the way of living & could be dangerous for the person. 

Many adults develop depression from dealing with common late-life issues such as major life losses, social isolation, the death of a spouse, financial stress, or health problems. 

How, with the help of Counselling, can you overcome Your Depression?

Depression is often treated with medications and antidepressant therapy. Various antidepressant medications are available in the market, but there are alternatives. You can go for counselling to overcome this battle of depression. 

The severity of the symptoms and the episodes of depression often determine the types of therapy. If you have been in such a situation for a long time and have severe symptoms, then it would be better to reach out to a counsellor.

During the time of counselling, therapists usually use talk therapy to help you to understand and work through the issues which can have a serious impact on your life. They will listen to you carefully and provide feedback and help develop coping strategies. They will also evaluate your progress and the session according to your convenience. 

Conclusion

Finding the right counsellor to start the therapy session depression and anxiety depression and anxiety may take time. When you go for counselling for depression and anxiety, the relationship between the patient and the counsellor is the key to making the therapy successful. Our team members are here to help you out at every step. Contact ISCKON today or reach us at our helpline number to book an appointment with a professional. You are not alone in this battle with depression. Let us help.