Do you consistently feel sad, lonely, irritable and/or fatigued?

These are emotions and feelings that everyone is prone to, sometimes even concurrently. However, some individuals report these feelings consistently over a significant period of time. Appearance of these symptoms for more than two weeks may indicate that you are suffering from depression. An estimated 19 million Americans are living with depression today. Our Depression Counseling is here to help you.

Symptoms of depression include:

• Feelings of sadness and unhappiness
• Changes in appetite
• Reduced sex drive
• Irritability
• Slowed thinking
• Fatigue
• Thoughts of death
• Unexplained crying spells and physical pain

What causes depression?

Exactly what causes depression is not known. There are believed to be multiple factors involved; these factors include: physical changes in the brain; hormone changes due to thyroid problems or other conditions; biologically inherited traits; life events and early childhood trauma.

The onset of depression usually begins in the teenage years, 20s and 30s, but can occur at any age. Research indicates that twice as many women are diagnosed with depression as men, although this discrepancy may partly due to more women reporting these symptoms and seeking help than men. Whether you need help for your relationship or yourself we can help.

Factors that increase the risk for triggering/developing depression include:

• Having family members who are depressed
• Having been depressed previously
• Stressful life events such as the death of a loved one
• Diagnoses of a serious illness
• Abusing alcohol and other drugs
• Traumatic childhood experiences
• Recently giving birth (postpartum depression)

Learning to cope with depression