Depression

When you are depressed, it is easy to feel helpless, hopeless, and alone, but it is an extremely common mental health issue. Depression can be obvious: you literally cannot get out of bed because you feel so low. “I knew it was bad when I woke up in the mornings and the only thing I looked forward to was going back to bed.”  Or insidious: you go through the motions, but feel demotivated and joyless. “I miss me. The old me, the happy me, the bright me, the smiling me.” Symptoms can be very different from person to person: other than the “blues” commonly associated with depression, it can manifest in oversleeping, trouble sleeping, changes in appetite, social isolation, or loss of interest in things you used to love. “They ask: ‘How are you doing?’ But, what they mean is: ‘Are you over it yet?’” “I’m exhausted from trying to be stronger than I feel.” In men especially, irritability and anger are common symptoms. “I’m fine. I’m just not happy. Enough said.”

There is no need to continue letting depression run your life, whether it is in big or small ways. I have been treating depression for more than two decades. I am also trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction, which research has shown to be beneficial in the treatment of depression. I address the problem through both practical, real-time techniques to provide relief, as well as through working on underlying issues to maintain those gains for the long-term. Not everyone experiencing depression needs medication, but should we come to feel in our work together that medication might be beneficial, I will work with a psychiatrist to make sure you are getting the best coordinated care.

Please call or mail me so that we can speak before we meet.