Depression Therapy

Gold Coast, Australia

Our Clinical Psychologist in the Gold Coast,  offers therapy to relieve depression to regain motivation, vitality, purpose and the joy of living.

•     Are you feeling down, sad, despondent, gloomy?
•     Do you suffer from insomnia?
•     Do you feel unable to cope?
•     Do you find it hard to motivate yourself?
•     Do you get irritable or angry?
•     Are you excessively critical of yourself?
•     Do you feel hopeless, worthless?
•     Do you sometimes think that life is not worth living?
•     Have you experienced recently a difficult life event or a severe loss?

If the answer is yes to some of the above, you may be suffering from depression. You are not alone! 10% of the population is suffering from depression at any one time. It can affect anybody. No one is completely safe from depression. You don't have to keep struggling on your own, there are effective psychological treatments to help you to manage the depression and prevent relapses.

What is depression?

We all have low days; feeling disappointed, sad, frustrated and unmotivated. But, if you have more and more of those days, where the low mood last from one day to the other, becoming more intense and increasingly difficult to snap out of it, you may suffer from mild depression. However, if you find yourself having low energy, procrastinating, withdrawing, eating not enough or too much, feeling miserable over a period of weeks as well as waking up early morning feeling down, then the chances are that you could have clinical depression. We recommend that you see your GP or a psychologist for assessment and treatment.

The common symptoms of depression are:

•     Ongoing sadness, unhappiness, tearfulness
•     Lack interest and enjoyment in usually enjoyable activities
•     Poor memory
•     Low self-esteem
•     Loneliness and isolation
•     Fatigue, low energy
•     Sleep problem and waking up early in the morning feeling gloomy
•     Pain such as headaches or backaches
•     Poor concentration, inability to make decisions
•     Irritability
•     Lost interest in sex
•     Feeling inadequate, unable to cope, overwhelmed
•     Less active and less motivated
•     Withdrawal from family and friends,
•     Increased alcohol consumption, or drug intake
•     Decreased or increased eating
•     Anxiety, worrying, fears
•     Ideas of self-harm or suicide

 If you are suffering from depression we advise that you visit your GP for an assessment and referral

The depression could have developed gradually over many months but other times the depression could have happened more suddenly in response to changes in life situation. For some, the depression continues for long periods of time even though, there may no longer be a good reason for feeling down. If you are suffering from an ongoing feeling of unhappiness and it is difficult to snap out of it, it is important that you seek help.  We recommend that you see your GP for an assessment of your condition for a possible Mental Health Care Plan so you can claim the Medicare rebate. Your GP may also prescribe anti-depressant medication as well as psychological services.

If you have or know of someone with suicidal thoughts and plans, urgent attention is required as this is a dangerous stage. You should contact immediately Lifeline on 131114 or the Suicide Callback Service on 1300659467.

Treatment

Feeling depressed is not something to feel ashamed or guilty about. The good news is that there are many well researched and proven effective medical and psychological treatment for depression that can alleviate the physiological and psychological factors which cause and maintain the depression.

The current research indicates that psychological intervention, such as Mindfulness in combination with Self-Compassion, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy(MBCT) and Compassion-Focused Therapy(CFT) can reduce depression as effectively as medication, with the progress maintained in the long term and preventing further relapses.  A combination of medication and psychological treatments is often the best way to treat clinical depression for stable, long-term gain.

How our psychologist can help

Our psychologist has over 30 years of experience in offering therapy for depression. We offer a Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, Compassion-Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy all of which are evidence-based approaches to reduce depression.

Our psychologist will listen to you, provide you with an assessment and then present strategies to meet your specific needs and circumstances. Together, we will explore practical and effective ways to resolve your challenges and to reach your goals. The aim is to help you to build emotional resources to enable you to gain greater resilience, calm and well-being.

If you wish for more information or to make an appointment face to face at our office in the Gold Coast or Online anywhere in Australia,

you can ring us 0427795721 or send us an email marie@bloomfieldpsychology.com.au

We listen... We care...