Feeling
blue?
Always tired?
Struggling to cope?
We all feel a bit down from time to time, but when these feelings linger, when it’s hard just to get through the day, it’s likely that you are suffering from depression. If you’re wondering if you’re depressed, or if you know you’re depressed, and wonder what you can do about it, there are things you can do to feel better……
Do these questions and comments sound familiar?
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Why am I feeling so sad and blue?
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What’s wrong with me—I can’t think clearly, and don’t seem to be able to make good decisions.
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I don’t feel like doing anything!
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Why do I feel like such a failure?
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Just getting out of bed seems like a chore.
These thoughts are typical of depression.
When you’re depressed, you're not alone:
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the lifetime risk for depression in the industrialized world is 7% to 12% for men, and 20-25% for women. Major depression can affect 20-40% of those over sixty. While elders are at greatest risk for developing depression, depression is a significant problem for adults in general, and children and teens are developing depressive symptoms in increasing numbers.
Depression can include any of the following symptoms:
- feeling helpless or hopeless, sad, or discouraged
- feeling irritable and easily frustrated
- loss of interest or enjoyment in activities that used to be pleasurable, "not caring anymore"
- often and/or easily tearful
- loss of sexual interest or desire
- changes in appetite and cravings
- weight gain or weight loss
- gastrointestinal problems, complaints of pain
- changes in sleep patterns, such as early awakening, or over-sleeping
- tiredness and fatigue
- difficulties with memory or concentration
- feeling like just giving up—"life is too much of a struggle"—thoughts of death
- problems with self-esteem
- feeling nothing’s worthwhile
Causes for Depression include:
- family history (heredity)
- medical and biological factors
- negative or traumatic life events
- unresolved grief
- stress and/or long-standing anxiety
- major life transitions
Counseling can help you…
- f eel better about yourself, your life, the world, and your future
- improve your ability to recognize depression, reduce self-criticism, and increase your ability to cope
- become aware of and learn to modify behaviors and thinking patterns common to depression
- reclaim your former effectiveness, and zest for life
- work to resolve the effects of depression on your relationships
- have a safe place to express your emotions and needs, and give you the skills and confidence to express them in other settings
- become appropriately assertive in social and work situations
- develop effective communication and problem solving skills
for more
information about depression and counseling for depression, contact
Eve Solis, (408)
380-3099. To e-mail Eve, click the mailbox link: 
© 1999, Evelyn Solis