Lifting Depression

“DEPRESSION” is a disorder that affects a lot of people.  When feeling depressed,  people feel that life is meaningless and hopeless. In the depressed person’s mind, everything looks bleak.  The energy is low, and there is no motivation to take a positive step forward.  There is a sense of loss of control over one’s life.  Although it is a widespread belief that depression may be due to a chemical imbalance, there is little supporting evidence.  If depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, then it would be possible to medicate people out of depression.  Yet, that is not the case.  Anti-depressants can help to manage the symptoms of depression, but for a person to cope with depression, other forms of help are also needed.  Talk therapy (counselling) is particularly useful in treating depression.  The skills required to lift depression effectively are: relaxation techniques, changing the negative thinking styles, managing basic needs and reframing life events.  The helping counsellors helping will need to have the flexibility to use a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy and solution-focused therapy to work with the clients.