Services

Depression

Kinga Westwood is a Sunshine Coast Depression Specialist, qualified and passionate about helping your achieve a better outlook on life. 

Getting out of bed can be hard when you are feeling depressed.

Making changes can be even harder. Being stuck in the same circumstances and environment can make you feel like nothing will ever change.
Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders and it can affect anyone. According to the WHO, depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults in any given year.
Depression causes feelings of sadness, and loss of interest in everyday life activities. It affects our work, and those closest to us.
People with depression can experience prolonged feelings of sorrow or distress, and intolerance for themselves. Difficulties with sleep, socialising, and sex drive can also be experienced by those with depression. Depression not only affects emotions, but it also creates physical problems which decrease one’s ability to function.

There are several factors that can play a role in depression:

Biochemistry: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to symptoms of depression
Genetics: Depression can run in families
Personality: People with low self-esteem and who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who are generally pessimistic, appear to be more likely to experience depression.

Environmental factors: Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty may make some people more vulnerable to depression

Those are a few but not the only common risk factors.

Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:

  • Feeling sad
  • Loss of interest
  • Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain
  • Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
  • Loss of energy or increased fatigue
  • Feeling worthless or guilty
  • Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
  • Thoughts of death or suicide

If you suffer from depression, you already know how painfully difficult it can be to get through life.
You might even feel confused about what is causing your depression and assume that you need medication.

However, evidence shows that most people do not need medication, as depression is frequently not about chemical imbalance.
For most people, the right therapy approach can help you to get better by yourself.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is one of the most often used and powerful evidence based treatments for depression. This is because depression is often a reaction to a negative life event. It can also occur when you lack a healthy life balance, or perceived reasons to be happy.

When I speak to someone with depression, I ask a lot of questions about their lifestyle. Often what I find is that they have little balance in their lives, for many and varied reasons.

You may have already tried different forms of therapy or even medication. But if little has changed and you are continuing to suffer, please get in touch. In my experience, the suffering that comes with depression can be effectively treated and managed with the correct therapy by a Sunshine Coast Depression Specialist.

I offer an obligation free 15 minute free initial telephone consultation with potential new clients. During this call, I am able to recommend a treatment plan for your particular situation. There is no need to suffer, so please reach out for help.

CBT; What it is and how it works:

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; what it is and how it helps you reduce and manage symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

Cognitive behavioral therapy (also referred to as CBT), is an effective form of psychological treatment that has proven to be effective for a broad range of issues including Depression, Anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug abuse issues, relationship problems, eating disorders, and other severe mental illnesses.
Research suggests that CBT contributes to significant improvements in individual functioning and as a consequence, quality of life. Numerous studies definitively show that CBT has been proven to be as effective as, or even more effective than, other commonly used forms of psychological therapy or psychiatric pharmaceutical medications.
Advances in CBT have been made on the basis of both international research and clinical practice. There is substantial scientific evidence that the methods employed by CBT actually produce positive change. For this reason, CBT differs from many other forms of psychological treatment.

CBT is based on several core principles, including:

  1. Psychological problems are based, in part, on flawed or unhelpful ways of thinking.
  2. Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.
  3. People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping with them. This can result in both relief from their symptoms, but strategies with which to lead happier and more effective lives.
Sunshine Coast Depression Specialist

How does Cognitive Behaviour Therapy work?

A critical aspect of CBT is learning ways to firstly identify and then break cycles in the thinking and behaviour that maintains a state of Anxiety or Depression.

During therapy, we look at how to break those cycles. We look at the patterns around what people think, how they behave as a result, and how that impacts their emotions.

In very severe cases, this can even affect physical responses (for example, an inability to get out of bed – which is very common for people experiencing depression).

Let a Sunshine Coast Depression Specialist help you understand the thinking patterns that keep the problem going, and we will provide new tools and strategies to break this debilitating cycle.