Depression is a condition that encompasses a wide range of moods and can cause long term serious difficulties for those suffering symptoms. It is often linked with loss, not only through bereavement but also through the loss of people or things that have been precious to us.
Many people experiencing depression report an almost overwhelming sense of separation, where connection is lost with the basic things in life which bring us pleasure through our senses: the joys of taste, smell, sound and sight. It also becomes harder to maintain the close relationships that sustain us in normal times, which can lead to others withdrawing from us in what can become a self-reinforcing cycle of isolation.
Symptoms such as sleeplessness and anxiety provide an additional drain on a person’s resources, leading to ever greater levels of exhaustion and an unwillingness each morning to face the day ahead. The propensity for people to become depressed is associated with complex factors of personal history and genetic inheritance. Linked to this will be the demands of their present life circumstances and the degrees of stress they are able to bear.
If some of this is beginning to sound true of your own experience, then do consider looking for help. Treatments such as anti-depressants prescribed by GPs can provide some alleviation of depressive symptoms, so that the person can begin to return to more manageable day to day living.
However, through the process of meeting and talking with a therapist, someone living with depression can be supported to feel better in the longer term. And if it feels right for them, they can choose to explore their past for deeper causes of their condition that might be contributing to their difficulties. This can lead to them discovering new ways of reengaging with their lives in the long term.
Do get in touch if you would like to meet me for a first session.