Depression Therapy in San Francisco, California

Feeling sad. Worried. Irritated. Tired all the time. No energy or motivation to do anything. Difficulty concentrating on even the simplest of things. Losing interest in the things that once gave you pleasure and joy. Feeling helpless and hopeless, and unable to “snap out of it.”

This is how many people describe dealing with depression. It feels like a cloud of despair one just cannot get away from. Depression affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. At its weakest, depression can make you feel like something within you is off, you don’t feel like yourself and you can’t really understand why. At its worst, depression can make you feel broken; you can’t function the way you want to or the way you would normally, and the sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness can feel overwhelming. Some consider it a form of unhappiness. But, it’s not so. Unlike unhappiness, depression is a clinical condition.

What is depression?

Simply put, depression is a mood disorder. It is associated with the feeling of sadness, low mood, and irritability that disturbs a person’s daily life. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression affected approximately 21 million adults in the U.S. in 2020. This represents 8.4% of the U.S. adult population in 2020. Considered a serious mental health condition, depression is also responsible for disability among many people because it can significantly impact ones functioning at work, at school, and in their personal lives.

Depression is more than just sadness

Depression can affect anyone, in varying ways, depending on the trigger and severity. Depression has been found to affect people of all genders, ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic positions. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that can make one immune to experiencing depression. There isn’t necessarily any common experience of depression either. There any many signs and symptoms and people can have different symptoms and different experiences of depression. People experience depression in the way they think, feel, and behavior, which can include some of the following:

Cognitively

• Reduced concentration

• Impaired memory

• Impaired learning

• Difficulty executing on tasks

• Slow information processing 

Emotionally

• Loss of interest in daily life activities

• Sad mood

• Sense of guilt 

• Hopelessness

• Sense of worthlessness

• Recurring thoughts of suicide 

Physically

• Headache

• Body pain

• Sleeping problems

• Digestive problems

• Change in appetite

• Loss of libido

But that’s not all.

Reading this list of how depression can make a person think, feel, and behave, it’s not hard to see how this can affect a person’s life. Day-to-day problems and hopelessness affect one’s mental health and other vital aspects of one’s life, such as work and relationships. This can show up in several ways. Not wanting to go out with friends to a party. Not being able to do your work tasks with focus or interest, leading to problems at work. Having recurring thoughts like 

• I am failure

• I can do nothing

• It’s all my fault

• Nothing good happens to me

What causes depression?                                                                      

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer or clear-cut reason why a person would get depression. Oftentimes people with depression think, “why me?” Sometimes depression comes on after a person has experienced something upsetting or stressful in their life, such as losing a job, or a relationship ending. Although it would make sense for people to feel sad and other emotions after going through something difficult, with time, these feelings usually pass. If they do not improve, it could lead to depression. This is not anyone’s fault, and sometimes you just can’t help this from happening. Another possible cause has nothing to do with going through something upsetting. Depression is also related to the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. The brain has what’s called, neurotransmitters, which are different chemicals that need to be at certain levels in order for human beings to function properly. When these neurotransmitters are not at the right levels, it can cause depression, memory issues, sleep difficulties, and other challenges. Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint the cause of depression. But rather than trying to understand the cause, psychologists and mental health providers focus more on what can help a person feel better.

There is hope for dealing with depression!

With depression, it becomes difficult to see all the good things and the opportunities around you! Help for depression means being able to see the good and the bad, with more clarity and hopefulness. It means feeling better about yourself and enjoying the pleasures of life again. Sometimes medication might be the right option to helping decrease symptoms of depression. Recall the role that neurotransmitters in the brain play when it comes to our mood? Antidepressants help regulate the neurotransmitters to improve mood and functioning.

It can be so hard to help yourself when you feel depressed. As a psychologist, I provide depression therapy in San Francisco, California. While there are many ways to reduce depression, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been found to be very helpful in the treatment of depression and many find relief through this approach. Since much of depression has to do with the ways one thinks, I help people use CBT to recognize and change negative thought patterns which help them feel better (Stay tuned for an upcoming post on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression and anxiety). If you’re dealing with depression, I will help you create new thinking patterns. As mentioned, there are many ways to relieve depression. My goal is to work with you to find ways that work best for you, so you feel better as soon as possible.

Relief from depression is like getting your life back. It might not be something that passes on its own, so its best not to ignore depression and to get the right kind of help.

FREE therapy consultation in San Francisco, California

I hope you feel more informed about depression from reading this post. If you are looking for help with depression, anxiety, or work and life stress, find out more about how I can help here. Don’t suffer any longer with depression. Reach out to me and let’s talk about how I might be able to help. Contact me for a free 15-minute phone consultation to see how therapy can help you.