If you’ve come to think that you’re depressed, the reality is that you’ve most likely been stuck in depression much longer than you realize.
People who are diagnosed with depression must show symptoms of the condition for at least two consecutive weeks. Most, however, have shown intermittent signs for years. Sadly, though, many are reluctant to get professional help despite suspecting they have a problem.
Do you fall into this category?
If so, please understand that you really do need a therapist to help with your depression. It’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity.
Why? It’s because depression is a sign that something is wrong. And the obstacles you may face when confronting it are so great, it can be very hard to get out of it on your own.
Consider some specific reasons why therapy for depression is so important.
Why You Need the Help of a Therapist to Treat Depression
There are three main reasons why you really need a therapist to help you deal with your depression.
They provide:
- Support
- Guidance
- Feedback
Why are these things so vital?
- It helps to have support from someone who understands depression and how it affects you. A caring therapist can help you make sense of what’s happening to you and why.
- One of the major problems with depression is that it leaves you feeling lost. You don’t know which way to turn, or even where to start. A skilled therapist can provide guidance and keep you on the path of recovery from depression.
- With treatment, you begin to practice new ways of coping with depression. And, thus, you need feedback from a knowledgeable therapist to help you improve those skills so that they are the most effective.
Willpower Just Isn’t Enough
Like so many things that involve therapy, people often think that the solution seems to be willpower. If you will yourself to be better, then you will be better, right? Not necessarily.
Willpower can’t overcome genetics or biology. If other members of your family are depressed or experienced depression, then there is the likelihood you may eventually suffer from it too. Moreover, you can’t prevent traumatic life events from occurring just by using willpower. You need something more.
Enduring Years of Suffering
As mentioned at the outset, depression is often a condition that affects people for a long period of time. You could spend years trapped in depression. That’s a lot of suffering that, quite frankly, doesn’t have to happen.
Imagine what you could be doing or accomplishing if you weren’t struggling with depression?
This question isn’t meant to make you feel worse. Quite the opposite, really. You have so much potential and vigor to offer to the world. Why waste that energy on depression?
Feeling Hopeless about Depression
When you suffer for years on end, you end up getting stuck in a mind-trap that only reinforces your depression. You are experiencing a depressed mood for so much of your day (and weeks, months, or even years) that it affects your perception of reality.
And you come to believe that it’s hopeless to do anything about the problem. When, in actuality, it’s the opposite that’s true. But you don’t know that.
Or, if you do hear about success stories of those who have overcome depression, you don’t believe that they apply to you. Thus, you keep lumbering through life aimlessly, without getting the help you really need.
The Bottom Line…
When it comes to treating depression, the truth is that you can’t recover by taking a pill or by just waiting for it to go away. The best way to overcome depression is with the professional help only an experienced therapist can offer.
A skilled therapist will be able to provide the structure, tools, and perspective you need to get started and keep going.
For instance, they can supply friendly and helpful reminders when you do struggle. In essence, they are the voice that lets you know that you are making progress, which, from your perspective, may be hard to see or even believe at times. And so, having an outside perspective can really help when you have those moments of doubt.
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If you are struggling with overcoming your depression or have no idea how to even get started with treating it, please don’t hesitate to contact me or read more about my approach to therapy for depression by clicking on the link.