According to DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria Depression is defined as follows:
- Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day.
- Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.
- Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
- A slowing down of thought and a reduction of physical movement (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
- Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.
- Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.
- Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
While feeling down from time to time is a normal part of our lived lives, depression can be something that stops us in our tracks and causes us to lose enjoyment in aspect of our lives that once brought us such pleasure. It can leave us feeling drained, confused and overwhelmed with feelings of worthlessness and helplessness.
Depression can be a frightening experience for anyone living with it. But here at Therapy Institute we look at your symptoms, tracing their origins with time lines and genograms. This helps us to gain an insight into some of the triggers that may be helping to maintain the depression. Once these are identified a unique therapeutic model is designed by our team to help you best cope with the challenges that are currently coming up for you in your life.
In modern terms, the medicalised model is often too quickly prescribed to deal with the issue of depression, we believe that effective therapy can help you reconnect with your own inner strength and through psychotherapy that is both empathetic and strategic we can help you overcome the depression that is preventing you from living the life you deserve.