Throughout life, we face many difficult times. As a result, a common reaction to life's struggles and disappointments can be sadness. Clinical depression is a more severe form of typical reactions to life's struggles, such as experiencing loss or a hurt self-esteem. When intense feelings of discontent such as hopelessness, helplessness, and worthlessness last for prolonged periods of time and prevent you from your ordinary routines, this may be a sign of clinical depression.

In many cases, those experiencing depression describe the feeling as an impending doom, or emptiness. Some might describe it as restlessness or a sense of anger or irritability. In all cases, however, managing depression is not always simple, so it may make sense to consider depression therapy as an option.

How Do I Know If I Have Depression and May Need Depression Therapy?

Knowing when to seek depression counseling is not always obvious. According to the DSM-IV, a manual used to diagnose mental disorders, depression occurs when you have at least five of the following symptoms at the same time:

• A depressed mood during most of the day, particularly in the morning

• Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day

• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day

• Impaired concentration, indecisiveness

• Insomnia (an inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day

• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day

• Recurring thoughts of death or suicide (not just fearing death)

• A sense of restlessness or being slowed down

• Significant weight loss or weight gain

If you or your family are in the Lansing, Michigan area and want to speak to a depression therapist near you, or have a question about our depression therapy services, you can schedule an appointment below or contact me directly at (517)-944-4232. As a depression therapist, I have years of experience in helping those who have experienced a wide range of depression related symptoms.