The philosopher Atticus once stated, “Depression is being colorblind and constantly told how colorful the world is.” Depression is such a powerful mood disorder precisely because it can dull a person’s entire reality. Your world can go from color to black and white from one week to the next. Relationships and occupations that used to be energizing now feel too taxing to maintain. Just getting out of bed can be a struggle. It’s an awful place to be, but there is help available. Thriveworks depression counselors in Littleton, CO can treat everything from mild depression to severe symptoms. They do so with unbiased compassion and expertise, helping people return to the reality they love.
What Is a Mood Disorder?
A person with a mood disorder experiences impairment in their life due to sudden or prolonged changes in their mood. Let’s be clear: It’s normal to feel down or depressed if you’re grieving a loss or your external circumstances cause sadness. But if there’s no specific reason for your suffering–if the shift in mood seems inexplicable–then you might be experiencing a mood disorder like one of the following:
- Bipolar affective disorder (manic depression)
- Type II bipolar disorder
- Major depressive disorder
- Persistent depressive disorder (PDD), aka dysthymia (depression that lasts longer than two years)
- Mood disorder linked to a medical condition, like cancer or infection
- Substance-induced mood disorder
Only a licensed mental health professional can accurately diagnose a mood disorder. There are various forms of depression and types of depressive symptoms that a therapist might identify. Seeking professional help from a reputable provider is the first step in exploring your unique situation. At Thriveworks in Littleton, CO, fully licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, and other providers can meet with you to discuss your symptoms and effective treatment options.
What Are the Symptoms of Major Depression?
It often seems obvious when someone is depressed. You can just sense their downcast mood, low energy, and sad affect. They might seem withdrawn, negative, generally unhappy. But psychiatrists and other trained professionals at Thriveworks in Littleton, CO look for these specific criteria when they diagnose depression:
- Lasting depressed mood (persistent sadness lasting longer than two weeks)
- Anhedonia (lack of interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy)
- Overwhelming guilty or worthless feelings
- Physical exhaustion
- Changes in libido (sex drive)
- Appetite changes and accompanying weight loss or gain
- Irritability (seen more often in men)
- Substance abuse as self-medication
- Isolation
- Diminished energy levels in thought and action (psychomotor retardation)
- Accelerated energy levels in thought and action (psychomotor agitation)
- Insomnia or sleeping too much
- Job loss or financial difficulties
- Damage to intimate relationships
- Suicidal ideation
- Physical pain
Everyone is different, thus they might experience depression differently. Depression counseling at Thriveworks in Littleton, CO offers personalized treatment plans for diverse clientele.
How Do You Treat Depression?
There are a number of effective ways to treat depression. Depression specialists at Thriveworks in Littleton, CO might tackle the mood disorder on a number of different fronts. Some potential treatments include the following:
- Psychotherapy approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Antidepressant medications like SSRIs
- Lifestyle adjustments in diet and exercise
- Relationship counseling
- Family therapy
The approach a qualified therapist uses will depend on the client’s goals, their collaboration in the treatment plan, and other factors such as the type of depression. For example, postpartum depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) will have different treatment protocols. Therapy can also address external factors that might contribute to depression, such as discrimination, financial stress, or relationship stress.
What Are the Risks of Depression?
When depression goes untreated, you run the risk of developing further health problems, occupational problems, and psychosocial difficulties. For example, it may become hard to keep a job when your feelings of sadness overwhelm you. And tragically, many people with untreated depression turn to alcohol or drugs to alleviate their painful symptoms of depression. This just serves to create more problems in the long-term.
Find Depression Relief with Counseling at Thriveworks in Littleton, CO
If you want to find a therapist who is compassionate, qualified, and experienced in treating depression, call Thriveworks in Littleton, CO. Our fully licensed providers offer talk therapy, medication management, and other interventions that can get clients on the road to recovery. Thriveworks therapists also offer online counseling sessions as well as in-person therapy sessions, so clients can choose a mode of meeting that’s most convenient for them. Thriveworks also accepts most health insurance coverage, helping to keep mental health care affordable to all who need it.
If you are experiencing symptoms of depression and want to feel in control of your mood again, reach out to Thriveworks today and you can meet with a mental health professional as early as tomorrow. We look forward to hearing from you.
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