Tag Archives: depression

Anxiety

In many cases, anxiety is a normal reaction it’s a feeling of fear when we face when in a stressful situation, such as speaking in public, or going on an interview. This kind of anxiety is not only normal, but healthy. However, weeks and months of continuous worry or fear becomes debilitating.

According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in Canada. There are six main anxiety disorders in adults and seven in children/young adults. They affect 12 per cent of the population. Often, they occur together or with other conditions such as depression or substance abuse. If left untreated, prolonged anxiety disorders can severely impact relationships, income, and sense of self.

Treatment of Anxiety

Research shows that anxiety disorders are highly treatable.

Anxiety is created in one’s mind and results in most cases to affect the physical body. This comes from having faulty beliefs that do not support how you want to live or looping repeating grid locked thinking patterns.

As your counsellor I will guide you to first recognize these thinking patterns that are not effective or out of date, and as well as help you discover better thinking tools to deal with life’s stressors.

This type of mind emotion type of counselling involves a deep desire for change and willingness in order to take what you learn in the 90 minute sessions into day to day challenges. The change you want requires consistency and dogged persistence.

This approach has worked for many clients I have counselled and it will do so for you as well.

Depression

Just as everyone feels anxious at one time or another, we all feel sad at times, or inexplicably tearful or just plain “down.”

These uncomfortable feelings are part of life. But when these feelings persist for weeks and weeks, affecting the way we eat and sleep, how we feel about ourselves and how we think about family, friends, and work, then this is not just a part of life, psychologically it is assessed as clinical depression.

Depression can affect anyone. There are many different factors at work, including family history, biology, life experiences, and physical health problems.

How do you know if you are depressed? Symptoms include:
• loss of energy
• loss of interest in activities and in life
• feelings of sadness and hopelessness
• loss of appetite
• difficulty in concentrating
• irritability and indecisiveness
• suicidal thoughts
• anxiety, including physical symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, hot or cold flushes, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat and increased perspiration.

Treatment of Depression

In my counselling sessions, I treat depression by identifying thinking patterns that cause and maintain depression.
I use this approach because it focuses on present, “here and now” thoughts and behaviours.
Together, you and I will identify your symptoms and their severity and select goals you wish to attain (such as increasing self-esteem or improving communication).
I will help you to look at how your actions or lack of actions contribute to your feelings, and help you identify negative or unrealistic ways of thinking that may be making you feel depressed.

With 20 or fewer sessions of individual therapy, approximately 75 per cent of patients experience a significant decrease in their symptoms. As well, patients are given the tools to prevent depressive symptoms from coming back.