Depression

Do you have trouble dealing with daily stress? Do the simplest activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, and dressing feel impossible? When something good happens, do you feel as though a cloud of negativity looms over the experience? Do you struggle with feelings of anger, shame, irritation, helplessness, or loneliness? Maybe you’ve felt emotionally “numb,” hopeless, or drained of all of your energy. What do you do when these feelings persist? Days turn into weeks and weeks become months. Before you know it, you’ve lived this way for years, and you can’t even recall a time when you felt “normal.”

The good news is, depression is highly treatable, with reports of 80% to 90% of people responding well to treatment. At Novatu Counseling and Assessment we understand that depression hurts; and although it’s often hard to pinpoint where the pain is real. Our licensed counselors will partner with you to identify the source of your depression to help you overcome it.

What is Depression?

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and home. But being sad is not the same as having depression.

Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults in any given year. And one in six people will experience depression at some time in their life.

Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:

  • Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
  • Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
  • Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
  • Loss of energy or increased fatigue
  • Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others)
  • Feeling worthless or guilty
  • Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
  • Thoughts of death or suicide

If you’re suffering from one or more of these symptoms, you may be dealing with depression. There’s never been a better time to begin your journey of healing. You can get help for depression. A caring and supportive therapist at Novatu Counseling and Assessment is ready to help you. We offer convenient appointment times, with both daytime and evening hours. Call for an appointment today: (910) 515-4556 ext. 2.