Counselling for Depression, West Sussex

How can counselling help?

Eleos counselling has been helping clients’ in West Sussex area since 2014. At Eleos Counselling, therapy can be short or long-term. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends interpersonal therapy as one of the preferred treatments for depression, such as that offered by Eleos Counselling. The type of therapy offered by Eleos Counselling is Humanistic.

Humanistic therapy involves talking with someone who is trained to listen with empathy and acceptance.

Therapy, allows you to express your feelings and find your own solutions to your problems. Sessions may be weekly and usually for 50 minutes. In that time you will find a safe unhurried space to look and gain insight into issues which may be troubling you.

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What is Depression?

At times everybody feels low and sad; it is an everyday part of life. That low feeling lifts pretty quickly, but sometimes it stays and deepens into depression.

Depression can be hard-hitting distorting the way you look at life and feel both physically and emotionally. Furthermore, depression can affect the way you think and the way you behave.

When somebody is depressed the energy drains from his or her body: if you are suffering from depression, it almost feels like your vitality is going down a black hole and you with it. Along with this feeling, there’s also the often hard-hitting fact that the person with depression is unable to reach out to others.

Winston Churchill was to call his depression “the black dog of greatness.”

Like Churchill, people with depression feel down pretty much all the time. Furthermore, life becomes an ordeal. The writer Dorothy Rowe is quoted as saying In her book about depression:

“Intellectually you know you are sharing space with others, that is, You are talking to them and their hearing you. However, the words come at you as if across a bottomless chasm, and even though you can reach out and touch another person, or that person touches you nothing is transmitted” (Rowe, 2003).

When you are depressed you have little or no enthusiasm for life, you feel exhausted, and often you are plagued by aches and pains and find it hard to concentrate on anything for long. Making decisions can be incredibly challenging and often, completing the most rudimentary of tasks like washing the dishes, phoning a friend or even lifting your head from under the duvet, can be tough.

How widespread is depression?

Recent figures on depression from the world health organisation say it is the number one cause of disability in the world. It is thought that around a hundred million people suffer from depression at one or more times in their life. Indeed, depression is so universal that it is often called “the common the cold of the mind”.

Figures suggest that 5% of the UK population could be clinically depressed. Furthermore, data also points towards 20% of the population experiencing one episode of depression at some point in their lives.

How can I tell that I am depressed?

Below is a listing of the most frequent symptoms of depression. As a general rule, if you are experiencing 4 or more of these indicators, for most of the day, nearly every day, and for over two weeks, then you should seek professional help.

Finding yourself exhausted or lacking energy.
Having a general feeling of unhappiness.
Lost confidence.
Difficulty is focusing on regular everyday tasks.
Unable to take pleasure in things that are usually satisfying or appealing.
Having an overpowering sense of guilt or worthlessness.
A general feeling of helplessness.
Insomnia – failure to fall sleep, unable to sleep waking up much earlier than. usual.
Avoidant behaviour; finding it difficult to be around friends and loved ones.
Finding it hard to function in a work or study environment
unable to eat.
The general loss of sex drive and the desire to be physically close to someone. Furthermore, sexual problems such as loss of libido and erectile dysfunction.
Frequently suffering from aches and pains.
Having thoughts of suicide or death.
Hurting yourself or harming yourself.