Sometimes we can’t help but feel sad, especially when things do not go as planned. And when you’re sad, you need to find ways to make yourself feel better again. However, if you wallow in your sadness all the time, it can lead to a more serious problem called depression. Simply put, depression is a state of extreme sadness which can leave a person feeling unmotivated and hopeless. It is a serious disorder that psychologists in Montreal help their patients to overcome.
Understanding Depression
Depression may be a common disorder, but as mentioned, it can be serious. Sometimes, a person suffering from it can develop suicidal thoughts, which is why it is important to deal with it as soon as possible.
How do you know if someone is depressed? Observation is necessary as symptoms may vary from one person to another. However, one important indication is when a person has been showing signs of sadness and despair for more than two weeks already that it has already greatly affected and disrupted his daily life.
Other signs and symptoms to watch for are:
- Feelings of helplessness and/or hopelessness
- Feelings of emptiness and/or prolonged sadness
- Feelings of worthlessness and/or guilt
- Frequent crying
- Anger
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Lack of concentration
- Fatigue
- Significant changes in weight and eating habits
- Changes in sleeping patterns
- Chronic pain such as headaches or muscle pain
- Loss of interest in activities that were enjoyed in the past
- Withdrawal from loved ones
- Thoughts of suicide
Medication and Treatment for Depression
Some people would say that a person suffering from depression can just snap out of this state and return to normalcy without any intervention. But this kind of thinking is wrong. Depression requires professional treatment and the help of a specialist. It is not a sign of weakness and it is okay to ask for help.
To help reduce depression symptoms, antidepressant medications are sometimes prescribed, especially for those who have severe depression. Another effective treatment is psychotherapy, which can also be combined with other medications. In fact, it is a great form of treatment because it lessens the chances of recurring depression.
Psychological treatments or therapies can help a person change his thinking patterns and improve his coping skills so that he can manage conflicts and stresses effectively. It supports recovery and ensures that a depressed person will stay well, even after treatment by identifying and changing negative thought as well as behavior.
Psychologists use several types of psychological treatments for depression and each type is effective in its own way. But, two of the most common therapies that psychologists use are cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured psychological treatment which recognizes that our cognition or the way we think and our behavior or the way we act, both affect the way we feel. It is considered to be one of the most effective treatments for depression that can be used among a wide range of age groups because it helps patients identify negative thinking, change beliefs and behaviors which can worsen the depression, and interact with other people in more positive ways.
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is also a structured therapy, which focuses on problems in personal relationships. In this type of therapy, people learn to improve relationships with other people by expressing their emotions better and solving problems in healthier ways. IPT helps people recognize relationship patterns that make them more vulnerable to depression. This treatment also helps people to resolve or adapt to unfortunate life events, build social skills, and organize relationships to cope with life’s stressors.
Psychologists need to work closely with their patients to understand their situation better. They need to come up with treatment plans to address each of their patient’s needs and concerns and help their patients cope with symptoms.
Raymond Bilger 
Conrad Armer 
Daryl Green