Depression Counselling aims to deal with suicidal and hopeless feelings, which prevail over long periods. By working with the therapist, they help you develop novel and healthy coping mechanisms to manage these strong emotions that impact daily life.
Depression is more common than one might think – over 264 million people suffer from this illness. Within Singapore itself, the most prevalent mental disorder is major depressive disorder (MDD), which can detrimentally impact one’s life and even prove fatal in cases which lead to suicide. According to the Singapore Mental Health Study conducted in 2016, 6.3% of the adult population in Singapore suffer from MDD at some point in their lifetime.
Feeling down in the dumps after an upsetting encounter is a normal part of life – it is completely okay to feel sad sometimes. However, having a persistent low mood and lack of joy in daily life for long periods can be a sign of depression. Many people often get confused as it may be difficult to differentiate between normal sadness and depression. You may refer to the list below for some of the common signs and symptoms of depression. If you or someone you know displays all or most of the listed symptoms, consult a mental health professional as soon as possible. Book an appointment with us for either an online or in-person counselling session.
Some of the major signs and symptoms of depression include:
There are several risk factors that may increase the likelihood of you having depression.
You are at a greater risk of depression if someone in your family has it. It is known to be linked with many genes as well. However, strong linkages have not been identified yet.
Women are more likely to report and seek treatment for depression than men. Women also tend to be more susceptible to depression due to hormonal changes, especially during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Having a weak support system with few supportive relationships and being socially isolated with minimal social interactions can increase the likelihood of depression or even worsen its impacts.
Experiencing sudden and significant changes in life can be very stressful. Coping with the loss of a loved one, divorce, losing a job or getting a new one, having a baby, and many other life events – both positive and negative – can increase the risk of depression.
Experiencing traumatic events during childhood, such as domestic violence, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, bullying, grief or medical trauma.
The pain and stress that comes with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, stroke, chronic pain or heart disease, can negatively impact one’s mental state and increase the likelihood of depression.
A history of drug and/or alcohol abuse or misuse.
Psychotherapy and depression counselling can be an effective treatment for depression. It can help you discover and understand the issues that you are facing and tackle them properly. It can also be an opportunity for you to learn new skills and techniques that can help you handle your emotions and problems better by developing new healthy coping mechanisms.
Psychotherapy and depression counselling can help you develop better relationships by understanding your relationship patterns. This can help reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness. By learning to set healthy boundaries in relationships and other interactions, you can slowly heal and grow and reintegrate into society.
At Incontact, our counsellors will help you work through your negative thoughts and empower changes in your behavioural and cognitive patterns, to help you manage your symptoms better. We adopt an eclectic and humanistic approach to depression counselling for all our clients. This involves the use of eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy.
Talking to our therapists can help you manage life’s adversities better as you learn positive and healthy ways to overcome them.
Answer: If you think you have depression, you should visit a doctor for a medical evaluation. A doctor will be able to rule out the possibilities of other medical illnesses or disorders and refer you to a psychologist Once diagnosed, you can book an appointment with one of our experienced professionals for a depression counselling plan.
Answer: Depression is not always considered preventable. However, you can develop a few lifestyle changes that are also discussed in therapy and counselling. These changes help in decreasing and at times eliminate the occurrence of another depressive episode. Some of these changes include:
Therapy is more effective when personalised and collaborative, so there isn’t often a strict structure to follow. It is only important to keep in mind that your therapist is there to help you, so being honest and open with them will produce the best results.
If you have medicine prescribed to you for your mental health, it is important to keep taking it. Therapy and medicine are different approaches towards solving similar problems, but they do not replace each other.
Above all, therapy is for your sake. If you feel threatened at any point, please let your therapist know; they can guide you using an alternative approach that might suit you better. However, it is also important to remember that therapy is about dealing with problems; along the way your therapist may try to push you out of your comfort zone, so some feelings of apprehension are common.
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