Depression

Individual Counseling & Therapy | Columbia, MO

Do I have depression?

If you’re asking this question, then you’re in the right place. Depression is a lonely endeavor that can feel absolutely suffocating and endless. Our counseling team is skilled in working with depression for folks who are coming in for individual counseling and therapy, and it’s important to us that you feel seen, heard, and understood. We’re not going to try to give you a pep talk while glossing over sadness, meaninglessness, listlessness, or apathy. We’re going to spend time with you, trying to help you sort through what can be sorted through, tossing our what can’t, and clarifying what changes can be made that might alleviate some of the persistent feelings for you.

Depression as an epidemic? Just a little data.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH <- very well-funded and lots of national research) found that, in the past 12 months, approximately 3 million (three million) U.S. adults (over 18) struggled with depression. And while that might not be considered something of ‘epidemic’ proportions, anybody who has experienced depression knows the unwanted and occasionally debilitating effects.

Signs and Symptoms

The ironic thing about depression (mild forms, typically) is that sometimes people don’t even know they’re experiencing it. There is such a thing as high-functioning depression, where a person will get the tasks they need done for the day, but then they won’t want to talk with friends, make food for themselves, prep for the next day, do laundry, or function outside of what’s required–basically, they do what needs to be done for their ‘job’, but nothing personal. That aside, there’s also people who know when it flairs up, how it feels, and how it impacts them in daily life. For these people, depression might also get in the way of any work-related performance. The signs and symptoms of depression include:

• apathy, indifference, or ambivalence;

• feeling numb;

• changes in sleep patterns (way too much or not enough);

• hopelessness;

• loss of interest in activities that used to be pleasurable;

• irritability, more 'sensitive' than typical, excessive crying;

• social isolation.

This is not an exhaustive list. Other things can pop up, but these are very common. If you have some, but not others, that doesn’t mean you don’t have depression or aren’t struggling with it. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that depression and anxiety are generally besties, meaning that they hang out together frequently. If you struggle with or have anxiety, for example, it’s more common for you to struggle with or have depression when compared with folks who don’t have anxiety. Frustrating, to say the least, but worth mentioning in case you feel some shame around struggling with both.

How does counseling help?

Counseling is shown to be effective in helping people work through depression, period.  

So, one part of depression is chemical/biological. In depression, one theory is that there are chemicals in your brain that aren't functioning the way they’re supposed to. Basically, we’ve got neurotransmitters (i.e., chemicals) that swim in our brain all the time. As in, they’re there right now, hanging out, doing their job, being awesome. However, there are times when they get confused about their role. They might start to over-produce or under-produce, or they might start to struggle to relay their (extremely important) information to the other cells. Bottom line is that they’re messing up their job, which is to keep us healthy and functioning.

Counselors cannot (I repeat, cannot) prescribe medications. The only people who can do that in the state of Missouri are medical doctors and licensed nurse practitioners. What we can do is collaborate with your psychiatrist, licensed nurse practitioner, or primary care physician to collaborate and help give the most well-rounded care we can. What we can’t do (to reiterate) is write a script. Just want to clarify that bit!

And the biological/chemical component aside, another major aspect of depression is cognitive/mental. This is where counselors and therapists can really help. There are certain styles of thinking that can, quite literally, create depressive states for people. There’s also actively trying to suppress feelings and unpleasant experiences. There’s being in toxic environments without realizing it. There’s the way you talk to yourself, the way you engage in self-reflective behaviors, and the way you take care of yourself. All of these things can help with depression.

The Counseling Hub team are trained to help with these specific aspects and help you to incorporate new ways of thinking/being/doing in order to alleviate symptoms of depression, as well as prevent it from coming back full force. Please don’t mistake this section with the mentality that depression can be “cured” with “mind over matter.” We’re not advocating for that. Depression is complex and there are a variety of factors involved. What we’re trying to say is that we can help with some of those factors, and that even helping with those can alleviate some of the distress and suffocating experience of depression.

Holistic Approach

The Counseling Hub recognizes that there is a lot of research out there that supports different approaches to depression, outside of talk therapy. For example, exercise, food, sunlight, and social support (to name a few).

An additional component to the work we do is to collaboratively assess each of these domains to see where you're struggling. We know that all of these things together can really impact depression, and we're not so entrenched in our field of study that we don't incorporate life changes for our clients in the work that we do. That sounds confusing. What I mean is this–we're not above bringing in conversations about exercise or social support. It's really important to us, actually, that we incorporate all of the things we know to make a difference and that we’re able to bring in. In a nutshell, talk therapy is effective and we combine that with a holistic approach to treating depression. 

One exception of counseling being effective for those with depression might be for people who are in a severe state of depression (i.e., debilitating). In that case, counseling in combination with another form of therapy (usually some form of pharmaceutical) has shown to be the most effective.*

*Please note that The Counseling Hub is not pro or anti medication. We respect that people have the right to choose whether or not they want to take medication, and we surely do not sway people in one direction over another. Additionally, in no way can we prescribe any medication. 

This sounds like what I need, now what?

Perfect. Now all you have to do is contact us for an initial phone consult, as well as to ask any questions you might have about counseling, depression, or what you can expect. You can also peruse the website to get a feel for us.