Sometimes, we use the term depression to describe seasons or periods of feeling down, but that usage can muddy the waters and become unhelpful. Counseling for depression can clarify our feelings and help us get out of our emotional ruts.

We all have down days when it seems as if the color has drained from the world, and there just doesn’t seem to be anything to motivate us. We encounter many circumstances that leave us feeling sad and overwhelmed, such as when we lose a loved one or experience job loss. These seasons are difficult, but we can work through them and emerge stronger on the other side.

There are many reasons why people feel sad, and not all of them have to do with depression. The word depression is often used to describe deep sadness, but this usage may confuse depression with the natural rhythms of our emotions that coincide with events in our lives.

If you lose a loved one and you’re grieving that loss, the sadness you feel in that season isn’t necessarily depression, but the natural outworking of grief. Rather, depression is a mood disorder that results in a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed.

Depression has a huge impact on how you feel, think, and behave. It leads you to have issues with your regular day-to-day activities, and it can result in a variety of emotional and physical problems. Due to depression, you may sometimes feel as though life isn’t worth living and that’s a clear sign you need to reach out for professional help.

Depression, also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, isn’t like the temporary negative feelings a person has in response to life events. Instead, it is intense and persistent despite a change in circumstances.

Different people will experience depression in various ways. Typically, though, the symptoms of depression will have a noticeable effect on their day-to-day activities. It could affect you at work, school, social activities or in relationships with others.

Some of the common signs of depression include:

• Experiencing feelings of worthlessness or guilt
• Fixating on your past failures
• Feeling sad, empty, or hopeless
• Experiencing a loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyable, such as sex, hobbies, sports, or spending time with loved ones
• Feeling irritable or easily frustrated, and sometimes having outbursts of anger
• Changes in sleep patterns, such as insomnia or sleeping too much
• Feeling fatigued and lacking energy
• Slower comprehension; having trouble thinking, remembering things, and concentrating; and struggling with decision-making
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches, that don’t go away with over-the-counter treatments
• Changes in appetite, such as eating too much or too little
• Feeling anxious, agitated, or restless
• Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide

The symptoms of depression will also vary depending on a person’s age and gender.

For instance, in children, depression may manifest in the following ways:

• Irritability
• Worry
• Clinginess
• Refusing to go to school
• Being underweight
• Having aches and pains

Teens may experience the following signs of depression:

• Sadness
• Withdrawal from family
• Feeling misunderstood
• Abuse of drugs or alcohol
• Harming themselves through cutting
• Bingeing, purging, or severely restricting food intake
• Decreased performance at school
• Reduced social interaction
• Feeling negative and worthless

Adults may experience the following symptoms of depression:

• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Memory difficulties or personality changes
• Insomnia
• Avoidance of socializing with others
• Suicidal ideation

In men, the signs of depression often look like the following:

• Workaholism
• Irritation and anger
• Avoiding family and social situations
• Displaying controlling or abusive behavior

Men with depression are also more likely than women to drink alcohol in excess and engage in risky behavior.

Many of these symptoms of depression can coincide with other conditions such as diabetic hypoglycemia, thyroid conditions, bipolar or even anger disorders. For an accurate diagnosis of depression, you’ll need to go to a doctor or find a mental health professional who can assess you to eliminate other possible causes underlying your symptoms.

Depression is nearly twice as prevalent among women than among men, with 5.5% of males reporting depression symptoms in a two-week period compared to 10.4% of females. This disparity may be the result of men being less likely to report their symptoms of depression and seek treatment for it.

There are different types of depression, such as perinatal depression, seasonal affective disorder, major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, major depressive disorder with symptoms of psychosis, and situational depression, to name a few. A mental health professional such as a Christian counselor is trained to understand and diagnose the different types of depression. A counselor will also develop a treatment plan that meets your needs and effectively addresses the depression. If you suspect that you may be experiencing depression, getting help as soon as possible is the best thing you can do for yourself as well as for the people in your life.

There are effective treatments for depression. Depending on the severity of your depressive episodes, your health-care provider may offer several options to address the symptoms and underlying causes of the depression. Some of the treatments that are available to address depression include the following:

• Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, which include treatments such as behavioral activation, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), problem-solving treatment, and interpersonal psychotherapy.
  CBT usually happens face-to-face in individual sessions with a therapist or in groups, but it can also take place over the telephone or online. CBT helps a person identify the connection between their thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. It helps them begin to change pattens of harmful thoughts and behaviors towards healthy ones.
  Interpersonal therapy helps people to identify the emotional problems that affect their relationships and communication with others. It uncovers how these issues affect the person’s mood while learning how to improve relationships and better manage their own emotions. For some forms of depression, psychotherapy is the first-line treatment.
  The combination of therapy and medication may work better for some people, but medications such as antidepressants aren’t the first line of treatment for mild depression, or for treating depression in children.

• Brain stimulation therapies, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation or electroconvulsive therapy may be of some benefit if the depression doesn’t respond to drug treatment.
• Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) can help in dealing with depression. These medications do have adverse effects such as nausea, diarrhea, low blood sugar, weight loss or weight gain, and sexual dysfunction. For medication to be effective, it needs to be taken consistently and under the direction of a qualified mental health professional. To arrive at the right doses of the medication with the least side effects will require some trial and error to refine the treatment plan.

Beyond these treatments, there are some additional elements that can help address depression. Aerobic exercise will help by increasing your endorphin levels and stimulating neurotransmitters, thus potentially easing the symptoms of depression.

You can also make a few lifestyle changes, including reducing your consumption of sugary and processed foods, while increasing consumption of foods such as fruit, vegetable, olive oil, and fish. You can also do the following to help alleviate the symptoms of depression:

• Connect with other people. Social connection makes us feel better
• Try to maintain a sleep schedule and proper sleep hygiene to get good sleep
• Limit your stressors and do not make important decisions
• Avoid using nicotine, alcohol, or drugs

People aren’t just physical, mental, and emotional beings, but spiritual beings as well. Depression affects the whole person, including your relationships with others, yourself, and the Lord. To address depression holistically, you can journey with a Christian counselor who is trained to address depression.

A Christian counselor is trained to discern the patterns and roots of your depression. He or she will help you by developing a treatment plan that uses evidence-based therapies. Your counselor will also undergird the treatment plan with Bible-based understanding of the whole person.

Your counselor can journey with you. He or she will help you understand your depression and work through any relational issues that may have resulted from the depression. Your counselor will provide you with tools to cope with depression and make the most of your life.

You don’t have to walk alone in the dark. Reach out and seek help today from a Christian counselor so that you can get the healing you need.