DEPRESSION

Areas of Specialization in Depression

Assessment and diagnosis Psychotherapy Depression management skills Meditation instruction Depression and addiction (Dual diagnosis)

Alternative treatment consultation Family work Sexual issues Medication assessment

Most people confuse the word "depression", an adjective that describes a low or "blue" mood that we all experience from time to time, from the illness of Depression.

Depression results from an insufficiency of neurotransmitter chemicals in the spaces between brain cells that elicits in the individual the subjective feelings of sadness, listlessness, and other symptoms.

Clients who have experienced a depressive episode often describe themselves in childhood as being "sensitive" or "shy". This perceived feeling of a generalized heightened emotional sensitivity is the way the individual emotionally experiences their lower biological amount of neurotransmitter chemical. When sufficient stress factors affect such individuals, they can experience a full blown depressive episode.

In this way the illness of Depression is a vivid embodiment of the mind/body interaction. The mind is affected by the stress, which then interacts with the "givens" of their biological "wiring" (low transmitter chemicals). The greater the stress factors, the more likely the individual will become symptomatic.

Once activated, the symptoms of depression do not subside until the chemicals are back in balance. This treatment can include talk therapy, medicine therapy, and various holistic methods, like Stress Management. Please refer to my web-page on Meditation.

To work successfully with Depression, it is necessary first to understand whether the mood is transient, or an illness. It is also important to be aware of the other symptoms of the illness besides the mood. These include fatigue, lethargy, eating or sleeping changes, memory and concentration difficulties, low self-esteem, inability to make decisions, hopelessness or suicidal thinking.