Depression impacts millions of people around the world. It is not just a deep sadness, despite what many people think. Depression impacts many facets of a person’s life, including how they feel and interact with others regularly. Unfortunately, in severe cases, depression can cause suicidal thoughts and even suicide attempts.

It is true that there are mild forms of depression and that many people don’t recognize that they are depressed until things escalate. If you understand the signs and symptoms of depression, you can recognize them in yourself or a loved one before things go too far.

In addition to understanding the signs and symptoms, depression counseling can also help give you or your loved one a safe place to talk about how they’re feeling and why.

What are the Characteristics of Depression?

Depression can manifest itself in many ways. This leads to difficulty recognizing the symptoms in oneself before others may recognize the depression. For example, some people may be angry and lash out at others. Because most people associate depression with sadness, the opportunity to diagnose, discuss, and treat depression is missed.

There are other depression symptoms as well. These include:

• Feeling overwhelmed by life’s responsibilities

• Overwhelming sadness or unexplained sadness

• Anger and acting out

• Anxiety about life and tasks

• Feeling unworthy of what you have or want in life

• Extremes related to sleep: sleeping too much or too little

• Difficulty with concentration; sometimes young adults or teenagers will stop doing well in school, stop engaging in activities, or drop out because they can’t concentrate

• Passing up the opportunity to engage in your favorite activities or hobbies

• Not being able to find joy in your life or on special occasions

• Buffering with other serious addictions involving food, alcohol, or drugs

What Causes Depression?

The exact cause of depression is not known. Because everyone is different and reacts differently to life’s events, depression can vary from person to person. If untreated, depression can become severe and take over a person’s life. Some well-known causes of depression include:

1. Major life events such as death, divorce, or job loss

2. Diagnosis or treatment of a life-threatening condition, such as cancer

3. Money problems

4. Relationships problems

5. Pregnancy

6. And more

How Many People Are Affected By Depression?

There are millions of people who are affected by depression. The statistics say about 1 in every 10 people has suffered from depression or has depression. Unfortunately, those are just the numbers we know about. Many other cases of depression go undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated.

Despite depression becoming more mainstream and commonplace, it should not be thought of lightly. It is a serious condition that weighs heavily on many lives. It is important to seek treatment for depression as soon as possible.

Depression is a condition that can severely affect someone’s daily life and make it difficult to think and function. Some people experience sadness from time to time, but depression is an entirely different issue – one that impedes day-to-day routines.

Improve Your Self-Esteem, Self-Confidence, and Regain Control

One of the most difficult parts of suffering from depression is the feelings associated with worthlessness. No matter how many times someone tells you that you are worthy, valuable, or important to them, if you are depressed, you won’t hear them. It’s important to note that to overcome depression, you need to be able to find and recognize your self-worth.

In today’s society, we draw so much of our value from what other people think and say, especially online, and that can lead us down a dark path of self-consciousness. When you seek therapy for depression, you start to regain some of that control you felt you lost. We can help you feel good about yourself and your life again by putting the reigns back in your hands.

What are the Treatment Options for Depression?

At Genuine Health Alliance LLC, the focus of our services is always on the client. What will help the client identify and overcome their depression in the best way possible? When we work with clients, we create an individualized treatment plan that might include some of the following modalities:

• Individual counseling or therapy

• Group counseling

• Family counseling

• Introduction and adoption of a healthy lifestyle including diet and exercise

• Goal setting and life planning

Every person who comes to Genuine Health Alliance LLC is treated with the utmost respect and compassion. We ensure that our clients feel comfortable and cared for throughout the treatment process. Our licensed depression therapists are there every step of the way to help guide our clients through the counseling and recovery process.

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What are the Benefits of Depression Counseling

Working to overcome depression can be a difficult task, but it is not impossible. For some people, depression can be treated. There are many benefits to undergoing a therapy program to manage depression, including:

• Regaining a sense of control and confidence

• Repairing relationships

• Gain a better understanding of yourself

• Creating a plan for the short and long-term future

• Gaining perspective on your belief systems and begin to work through them to improve your life

• Improving positive thoughts

• Gaining insight into your life, past and present, to determine triggers and events that might contribute to depression or depression onset

• Gaining the ability to express your needs to others related to your depression

• Learning how to create support networks for yourself

• Learning about choices for medication and alternative treatments

Is it Necessary to Take Medication for Depression?

Each person with depression is different, so it is difficult to say whether a client will need to take medication to help manage it. Medication is very effective in helping to manage the symptoms of depression for many people. It helps them get their life back while they continue to work through therapy and counseling.

Nobody will force a client to take medication for their depression; clients need to decide on their own, just as they should decide to work with a licensed therapist on their own. The more responsibility a client takes for their therapy and treatment, the more successful they will be in the end. Medications may be discussed as part of a treatment plan, but it is not the only option and is often the last resort for people.

How Long is Depression Treatment?

Depending on how severe someone’s depression is, therapy may be required for years, or even for the rest of a person’s life. If someone is fearful of relapse or onset of depression in the future, they may choose to continue treatment even after their depression has subsided. People who have suffered from depression in the past are at a higher risk of developing depression again in the future. But when you know how to manage your symptoms, it can be much easier to regain control over your life if depression does occur again.

However, clients coming to Genuine Health Alliance LLC should know that a treatment plan will be designed for them based on their needs, goals, and depression as it relates to them. That means that depression treatment could be much longer than one might anticipate. Clients should be open to exploring therapy as long as they need to achieve their goals, whether that is to attempt to cure depression or manage it successfully.