What is Depression?
Depression is more than just a low mood. For many people being depressed can mean feeling sad, down-hearted, disappointed, isolated, detached or upset.
Depression can have a significant impact on a person’s life and their ability to cope with life events. People with depression often find it hard to function every day and may be reluctant to participate in activities they once enjoyed. People experiencing depression will often have a feeling of worthlessness and feel that the world is unfair and the future is hopeless.
Depression is one of the most common of all mental health problems. On average, 1 in 6 people, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 8 men, will experience depression at some stage during their life. People can have different experiences of depression, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe & debilitating.
Depression is not something to be ashamed of or to feel guilty about. It is not a character flaw or a sign of weakness, or a lack in discipline or personal strength. Often people who experience depression feel isolated and misunderstood as their condition does not make sense to most others who haven’t experienced it.
Symptoms of depression include:
- Loss of interest in pleasurable activities and daily routine
- Altered sleep patterns
- Worry and negative thinking
- Change in weight and appetite
- Lack of motivation, fatigue
- Worthlessness/inappropriate guilt
- Mood changes such as increased levels of irritability, anxiety or anger
- Hopelessness
Causes of Depression
According to the current literature a combination of personal factors contributes to the cause of depression:
Environment: An environmental factor can be anything that is affecting us in our immediate surroundings. Examples may be unemployment, violence in the home, prolonged stress at work or financial hardship.
Biology: Factors affecting each of us as living organisms; including genetic disposition, behaviour and origin. Biological factors that may contribute to depression are: family history of depression, battling another medical condition or drug & alcohol problems.
Psychology: Factors that relate to the mental and emotional state of a person. Examples may be early childhood experiences, personality traits such as perfectionism or low self-esteem, anxiety or other mental health diagnosis.
Social structure: Our social structure focuses on our relationships and interaction with those around us: caring for a sick family member, prolonged loneliness or isolation, bullying or divorce.
Alongside the study of the personal factors causing depression there is a growing body of research on the topic of physiology. Physiology, in relation to depression, looks at stress hormones, brain chemicals and brain configuration. The part of the brain, which centers around communication, is made up of chemicals and nerve cells called neurotransmitters. When neurotransmitters are altered or reduced the body’s functioning is affected. The three neurotransmitters that are believed to be associated with depression are serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, because they are involved in regulating mood, behaviour and emotions.
Depression is not simply the result of a chemical imbalance. Depression is caused by a combination of physiology and personal factors, it is important to understand depression in terms of the interactions between biological, social and psychological processes.
How Gestalt therapy can help with depression
As Depression is caused by a number of diverse factors, including one’s social structure and psychology, Counselling or Psychotherapy has been shown to benefit those affected by depression. In more severe cases a combination of medication and Psychotherapy may be used.
Gestalt therapy provides a therapeutic relationship that is supportive and safe allowing space for an individual to work through difficulties and obtain a better understanding of what they are going through.
Gestalt therapy views clients as unique individuals with no two people experiencing depression in the same way, nor the same reason/s for the onset of the depression. Gestalt therapy focuses on exploring the possible causes of the individual person’s depression and what it is like for them, as a unique human being experiencing depression, in their way. In Gestalt therapy depression doesn’t just rest in the person; depression rests in the situation that they have been through, that they are living now and that they’re carrying with them. Gestalt therapy explores all aspects of a person’s life.
In Gestalt therapy the therapeutic relationship is an essential component in the treatment of depression. The Gestalt therapist confirms the client’s experience, normalises it and empathises with their client’s. This builds trust and encourages a strong working alliance with the client. In this place of safety, the client can explore new coping skills and take risks. Sitting with a therapist may be the first opportunity a person with depression has to feel comfortable and safe enough to let another into their world, a place where shame doesn’t take over and prevent contact. To share the deepest, darkest thoughts and beliefs with someone and have it heard, understood and held, can be transforming and this makes a big difference to their recovery.
It’s about allowing the client the space and safety to tell their story without judgment or advising the client on how to be different. Depression is isolating in its very nature because it moves away from connection with others and takes people to a place of shame and insecurity. Therapy plays a vital role in the recovery process. Here a person with depression can, hopefully, learn to trust enough to allow another back in. In order to break the cycle of depression the road to recovery must include reconnecting with others and themselves in meaningful ways.