What is depression?

Depression can occur as a natural response to a difficult or frustrating situation about which you have no control. It also can be a function of a biological predisposition. In these instances, people find themselves getting depressed more often. The depressed patterns often start in late teenage or early adult years. Depression occurs at different levels of severity. When it is mild, you feel blue, don’t have much energy, and feel helpless. When it is severe, it is difficult to get out of bed, the hopelessness is pervasive and life feels extremely difficult. One of the main problems with depression is that it produces symptoms that are the opposite of what one needs to do to feel better. Hopelessness, helplessness, guilty and self-blaming feelings, poor motivation, fatigue, poor concentration, disrupted sleep and eating patterns all can occur.

I’m depressed but I have no idea why?

Feeling depressed but having no idea why is, sadly, an all too common occurrence. People from all walks of life struggle with depression and only a few of them have a clear understanding of why. Yet, it must be understood that there is always a reason (or compound reasons) behind the feelings of depression a person has.

Why do I feel depressed all the time?

The specific reasons why individuals feel depressed vary widely but one similarity is that depression continues due to repetitive negative thought patterns. These thought patterns pervade an individual’s outlook and color future possibilities with grey hues, devoid of silver linings. Often depression creates a feedback loop where a person is depressed which leads to a specific reaction (compulsive eating or not going to a family reunion for example) which then leads to deepening of the depression and the continuation of the feedback loop.

Thus, when seeing a psychologist it is important that they not only help you with specific depression issues but that they also work at breaking the feedback loop and help you cultivate tools to deal with depression in the future.

You can find effective help for depression with Dr. Robert Schachter

A survey from the New York City Department of Health found that more than 430, 000 New Yorkers suffer from depression. Now, being a New Yorker myself I know that many of us are realists because we have had to roll with the punches a few times in our lives. However, being depressed is not as simple as being a pessimist or an optimist. To a depressed person the metaphorical glass is not half full or half empty. Rather, the metaphor for the depressed person is more like, “the glass is filled with poison”, or “I don’t deserve that glass” or “if I drink that, _______ will think bad of me”.

I have helped hundreds of New Yorkers break out of their depressions and learn the tools they need to keep themselves on level ground. If depression is stunting your life and personal growth then I invite you to call for a consultation.