Depression

Depression is one of the most difficult thing to explain.

Every good feeling, every happy memory has been sucked out of you, life has become an unbearable burden. 

If you have experienced depression, you know how much it hurts. You've suffered from low moods and difficulty enjoying life. Probably there have been strings of days filled with worries and many nights of troubled sleep.

You may even have passed through some especially difficult times when it seemed like your problems were too much to bear. 

Perhaps you have already had some success in your battle against depression.

Or maybe you are still struggling to understand it and learn how to get symptoms under control. 

Wherever you are in your path to recovery, you're probably searching for answers on how to beat this disease and keep your life headed in a positive direction.

I will help you to find the answers that work best for you and to develop practical and effective recovery plans.

If you are like most people with depression, you will have personal stresses, self-doubts, relationship issues, physical illnesses or a variety of other concerns that may play a role in the depression. Addressing these types of problems can be an important part of the recovery process.

Criteria for diagnosing major depression (DSMV)

The diagnosis is made when a person has five of the following symptoms nearly every day for at least 2 weeks and one of the first two symptoms is present: 

1- Depressed Mood 

2- Loss of interest or decreased ability to experience pleasure

3- Low energy or excessive fatigue

4- Insomnia or sleeping too much

5- Decreased appetite and/or weight loss; or increased appetite and/or weight gain 

6- Low self-esteem or guilt feelings

7- Decreased ability to concentrate

8- Getting agitated or being slowed down

9- Thoughts of suicide or wishing you were dead.

Children and teenagers 

Positive stress can come from a variety of sources including doing well in school, making and sustaining friendships, or managing perceived expectations from their parents, teachers or coaches.

However if your children or teenagers are experiencing overwhelming feelings of stress, it is important to recognize the signs:

The appearance of negative behaviours

Youths of all ages, but especially younger children, may find it difficult to recognize and verbalize when they are experiencing emotional distress, so they may "act out":

• become irritable or moody,

• withdraw from activities that they used to like,

• routinely express worries,

• complain more than usual about school,

• cry significantly more than usual

• display surprising fearful reactions,

• become more clingy to a parent or teacher,

• sleep or eat too much or too little.

For teens, spending more time with and confiding in peers is a normal part of growing up, although...

• significantly avoiding parents,

• abandoning long-time friendships for a new set of peers

• expressing excessive hostility toward family members,

...may indicate that the teen is experiencing significant stress.

Negative changes in behaviour are almost always a clear indication that something is wrong.

Physical symptoms

Stomach aches, sickness and headaches can be a sign that something is bothering your child or teen.

A lack of confidence is also an alarm bell

Children and teens may also express their worries by saying negative things about themselves, others, or the world around them (e.g. “No one likes me,” “I’m stupid,” “Nothing is fun.”).