What You Should Know About Depression

You’re tired all the time and you don’t know why. You’re irritable all the time and you wish you weren’t. You are having dark thoughts about hurting yourself and you don’t know what to do. Depression can be a very scary and overwhelming disorder. In our society, people try to avoid talking about it because of the dark connotations. The Metis Center, a facility for psychological services, wants to debunk what society thinks about depression. We’re located in Boulder, CO, and want to help you stop suffering, take some time to talk to a therapist, and begin on the path toward self-satisfaction. We offer psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, among other services, so take some time to figure out how we can assist you.

What is Depression?

You probably know someone with depression or who has hurt themselves because they were depressed. Depression can manifest in many forms: anger, sadness, exhaustion, and anxiety, to name a few. There are many different kinds of depression as well. Depression, in general, is a serious mood disorder that can cause you to handle your life differently because of an imbalance of chemicals in your brain.

The Types of Depression

When the seasons change people can become more depressed because of the lack of sunshine. This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder. There is psychotic depression, perinatal depression, and persistent depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder is also a type of depression because of the extreme mood changes that go from high to low in small windows of time.

Psychotic Depression: This depression is a combination of severe depression and psychosis, such as delusions or hallucinations.

Perinatal Depression: Also known as postpartum depression, it happens after a woman has a baby and they have extreme emotions of anxiety, exhaustion, and sadness. This depression can affect how the mother takes care of the baby and of herself.

Persistent Depression: This depression lasts for at least two years with extreme periods of major depression and then less severe symptoms.

Symptoms of depression

• Consistent sadness
• Consistent anxiety
• Decreased energy
• Weight changes and loss of appetite
• Restlessness
• Change in sleeping pattern

If you are looking for help, please contact our therapist today.