Everyone experiences disappointment or sadness in life; however, when the sadness last a long time or interfere with your ability to function, you may be experiencing depression. Depression not only affects your mood, but also you mind, body and behavior, and if severe enough can have grave consequences if left untreated.
Depression in Women
Women are almost twice as likely to experience depression as men, regardless of race or ethnic background. Research suggests depression in women does not develop from a single cause, but rather from several factors that are unique to women’s lives such as genetics and biological, hormonal, pregnancy, abuse and oppression, interpersonal and certain psychological characteristics.
Learning more about the underlying factors in your depression and developing skills and tools with CBT to use to overcome the depression can help to restore hope and strength back into your life.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Depression
Depression is a very common and debilitating condition that affects many people. When someone has depression they can often experience a loss of motivation, difficulty enjoying life, and feel sad or down. Other symptoms can include problems sleeping, low energy, changes in appetite, feelings of guilt, and thoughts about death or even suicide.
Sometimes people with depression feel like they don’t have a legitimate reason to feel depressed. They believe or have been told that if they just had enough willpower they could overcome their depression. Unfortunately, this is misleading because fighting depression with just willpower can feel nearly impossible; but learning new skills and tools to fight depression through CBT is possible.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be one of the most effective treatment options for depression. Often for clients with mild or moderate depression, CBT by itself has been shown to help. For clients with severe major depression, CBT has been shown to be effective in conjunction with pharmacological treatment.
