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| You wouldn’t ignore a clogged sink forever—so why ignore persistent depression? |
Many people waste hours trying to heal their depression.
They know there’s something not quite right.
They know there are tools that can help.
They spend weeks or months working hard and getting very little return.
But they hesitate to talk to a psychotherapist.
I get it. Mental health services are not cheap. And when you see all the self-help resources out there, DIY seems a reasonable option.
But is it?
I think of it this way: I’m happy to change a washer in a tap or dump a bit of Mr Muscle down a sink but when there’s a persistent blockage or the water heater goes, I call the plumber.
Mental health is the same.
There are lots of excellent how to articles, podcasts and videos created by mental health professionals.
If you are a bit low after a breakup or you’re not having a blast at work every day, checking out quality sources will give you what you need.
But if the depression is persistent or overwhelming, then you need to figure out if you’re looking at a symptom or a condition.
Confused? Let me explain.
I think of depression as spots: you may have spots because you have chickenpox, a fungal infection, or an allergy to soap.
There's no point in changing your soap if you have chickenpox.
With persistent or overwhelming depression,
identifying the cause is the first step to healing because it allows you to
choose an appropriate treatment method.
This is trickier than it sounds because there are various approaches.
I use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), behavioural activation and existential therapy–all of them have their uses but there's no one-size-fits-all.
Also, sometimes it is more efficient to treat the root cause rather than the depression itself.
For example, if your depression is the result of being bullied in the office, the best way forward may be to help you change departments or jobs, and then to focus on recovery and learning lessons so you can avoid repeating the situation.
In short, you are a special snowflake. You’re one of a kind, and for mental health services to truly help, we need to understand what makes you, you.
So, if you have a persistent mental health issue, enlisting the services
of a mental plumber registered psychotherapist and counsellor is much
more efficient and effective than a whole bottle of Mr Muscle.
If you’re looking for professional support, contact me.
