Feel like you don’t know enough about depression and anxiety. Read below to learn more.
What is Depression?
The word depression is used a lot in everyday language to describe feelings such as
sadness, disappointment and lethargy.
In clinical practice however, major depression differs from
everyday ‘down’ feelings in that:
It is more intense
It lasts longer (more than 2 weeks)
It gets in the way of day-to-day functioning.
Symptoms of depression include:
Excessive tiredness and fatigue
Low motivation
Lack of interest in things
Sleep and appetite disturbances.
In addition, people who are depressed automatically think negative things about themselves (e.g. ‘I’m a failure’) and the future (e.g. ‘It’s all hopeless, what’s the point?’). Depressed mood commonly leads to withdrawal and inactivity. This can worsen depression, as the depressed individual feels guilty for the things they are not doing, and has limited opportunities to experience pleasure or enjoyment. This can create a vicious cycle of depression.
What is Anxiety?
Feeling tense, stressed, and worried at certain times when under pressure is a normal human response. Everybody feels anxious from time to time. Anxiety becomes a problem when it is intense and prolonged, and when it starts to get in the way of day-to-day functioning.
Symptoms of anxiety include:
Feeling restless, keyed up, or on edge
Physical tension
Sleep disturbance
Problems concentrating or focusing
Feeling tired or exhausted easily.
People sometimes try and reduce anxiety by avoiding the feared situation altogether. While avoidance often provides some instant relief, it tends to cause people to lose confidence, and makes anxiety worse in the long term. Avoidance can also lead to feeling overwhelmed, as difficulties pile up. Like depression, people can get caught in this vicious cycle of anxiety.
While there are some differences between depression and anxiety, their symptoms also overlap. Many people experience both mood disturbances together. In addition, both depression and anxiety share common symptoms and patterns of thinking, and there are important similarities in the techniques that you can learn to manage.
Our treatment uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Above all, CBT is based on the concept that our emotions and actions are largely influenced by our thoughts.
The workshop that we offer includes:
Education about depression and anxiety
Identifying activities that give a sense of pleasure or achievement, and working to include these in regular routines
Learning to break down overwhelming tasks into manageable steps
Learning a breathing technique to manage physical symptoms of anxiety
Cognitive therapy (identifying, questioning and changing unhelpful thoughts)
Learning how to actively cope with problems.
Ask us to learn more, about how we can help you, with the depression and anxiety. Email us at: admin@ovcs.ca
