Depression: The Symptoms & Treatment at The Bateson Clinic

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of depression may include the following:

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
• Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
• Overeating or appetite loss
• Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

In the last decade, depression has become prevalent disorder, and there are various debates regarding its biological and environmental causes. A great deal has been written about depression, but we would like to limit our explanations to our successful strategies in the treatment of this problem.

From our theoretical and clinical point of view, depression is regarded as the tendency to fail to find pleasure in our life, to give up on life, due to a sense of helplessness. This process can be maintained without realising it and even after trying extremely hard in many ways to change the problem without any success. This creates a rigid belief about oneself, others or the world in general.

Treating Depression

The most common attempted at solving depression, by depressed persons is to express their concern and negative sense of the world. While the close family and friends often offer encouragement, consolation, and protective attitude this can actually make the person feel worse.

We normally see clients on their own, however if clients are willing, we can also meet with their family and invite them to be participants in the therapy to assist us and the client in resolving the depression.

Nevertheless our immediate aim is to identify and consequentially resolve this state of depression. While at the same time create functional strategies that can help rescue him or her from their current experience.