Common symptoms of depression

  • Frequently feeling sad or pessimistic rumination

  • Loss of pleasure in doing things or looking forward to things

  • Feeling hopeless

  • Trouble getting out of bed in the morning

  • Difficulty getting or staying motivated

  • Cancelling social plans and withdrawing from friends, family and relationships

  • Physical fatigue or sense of moving slowly

  • Changes in appetite (overeating or loss of appetite)

  • Feeling numb or disconnected from you body or experience

  • Challenges in concentration and paying attention

  • Change in sleep (not sleeping much or sleeping a lot more)

  • Irritability or losing your temper

  • Feeling guilty and worthless

  • Everything takes more effort - easier to distract and detach through food, alcohol, sex, social media, video games

What’s the difference between sadness and depression?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about eight percent of adults experienced a major depressive episode in 2020. Clinical depression, sometimes referred to as major depression or simply depression, differs from feelings of sadness, grief, and low energy that may emerge in direct response to difficult life stressors such as an unexpected death, the end of a relationship, or moving away from friends or family. Unlike going through a period of natural adjustment with some sadness, depression often persists and symptoms may feel disproportionately severe or interfere with the ability to be present or enjoy any aspect of life. Depression shortchanges our access to thriving.

Humans need hope, joy, purpose, and connection - it’s like food and water. While sadness is often specific, situationally triggered, and eventually passes - depression is like a blanket that affects you most of the day, for more days of the week than not. It’s also important to remember that usually sadness doesn’t affect your self-esteem or ability to enjoy things - whereas people struggling with depression often feel bad about themselves and lose interest in what used to be enjoyable (e.g., work, friends, sex, hobbies, personal goals). Most people associate depression with strong feelings of sadness and despair - but depression can look like increased irritability or social withdrawal. While depression can be triggered by a situation or a recent loss, it often takes on a life of its own. Sometimes people can function at a very high level while depressed. This makes it even harder to recognize, because on the outside they are still going to work, spending time with friends, and acting responsibly. However, being depressed may mean that they do nothing more than the bare minimum and struggle to flourish.

Common depressive disorders

It’s expected that we will feel sad and discouraged in response to unexpected life events, losses, and disappointments. Allowing ourselves to slow down, take care of ourselves, and receive support can help us process and recover. However, if you’re struggling with depressed mood and it becomes long-standing or begins to affect your work, relationships, and personal life, you may have a depressive disorder. The good news is that you don’t have to continue to feel this way - research shows that depression be treated through therapy and professional support.

  • Major depressive disorder is characterized by sad, empty, or hopeless mood more days than not in a week for over two weeks. There may be a loss of pleasure in activities you generally like, fatigue, guilt, poor concentration, changes in sleep and appetite, feeling slowed down, and sometimes thoughts of suicide.

    • with peripartum onset, or what is commonly known as postpartum depression, is a type of depression that occurs during pregnancy or within 4 weeks of childbirth

  • Seasonal affective disorder (also known as major depressive disorder with seasonal onset) is characterized by changes in mood with a specific relationship to changing seasons, often the fall or winter, for two years. Depressive symptoms are completely alleviated when the seasons change again.

  • Persistent depressive disorder is characterized by symptoms seen in major depressive disorder, but lasting for over 2 years

“A therapist can share about how depression works on a neurobiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral level - and help you make sense of what you’re experiencing during a time where everything feels off.”

A multicultural note: Depression can look different across culture and time

It’s helpful to bear in mind that many people’s common points of reference for what depression looks like is culturally specific. Diagnosing mental health concerns based on meeting a predetermined description of symptoms started in 1952 with the first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Now in its fifth edition, the DSM has changed significantly, reflecting major political, social, and technological shifts. Diagnoses such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder, caffeine withdrawal and the push for future research on internet gaming disorder illustrates how definitions of emotional wellbeing evolve with the times. Furthermore, the DSM is largely used in the U.S. In actuality, depressive symptoms may be experienced and described differently across place and culture. In cultures that emphasize a mind-body connection over affective disruptions of daily life, depression may be described as a number of physiological disturbances, such as headaches, body heaviness, heartache, stomach concerns, or pain. If you’ve been experiencing such symptoms for a period of time without clear medical reason (as determined by a physician), you should consider whether or not your symptoms may be a sign of depression.

How can therapy for depression help me?

Pursuing therapy for depression is a tremendously positive step that deserves recognition, because it defies the hallmark feelings of hopelessness that characterizes depression in the first place. Taking the first step to enter therapy can make all the difference. Working with a therapist can break through the sense of isolation and invisibility with a regular, weekly appointment. A therapist can share about how depression works on a neurobiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral level - and help you make sense of what you are experiencing when everything feels off. Often when you are feeling depressed, it is hard to stay connected to the situations, activities, and people that bring us a sense of enjoyment, connection, or purpose. It simply feels too tiring, pointless, or overwhelming - however, this only further starves us from the very things that can be life-giving.

Receiving support to stay engaged with meaningful activities, especially when you are feeling exhausted or hopeless can make a difference over time in feeling better and recovering from depression. Therapy for depression can also help you reexamine the quality of relationships in your life, process unresolved losses or life transitions, reflect on what matters to you, and examine thought patterns or unhelpful beliefs that may be promoting pessimism or a low sense of self-worth. It may also mean connecting with additional resources like support groups, medication, or new physical activities geared towards increasing your energy level. When depression occurs as a result of losing hope in the possibility of change, working with a therapist can provide a new perspective or approach that can encourage forward movement where you may feel stuck.

Finding a depression therapist in NYC - we’d love to help

Our team of psychologists at Manhattan Therapy Collective are trained in a range of relational, multicultural, and evidence-based therapy approaches for depression, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. We encourage you to reach out for support - we would love to connect with you and answer your questions. Depression often means feeling hopeless, alone, and in the dark. It can also mean feeling stuck, unfulfilled, and disconnected from life - or simply getting by instead of flourishing. With therapy, you do not need to struggle alone - you can receive support to take steps forward, regain hope, and reconnect with others and a sense of purpose for your life.

 

Common questions about therapy for depression

 

  • In short, yes! What is commonly known as seasonal affective disorder is the onset of depression symptoms with a seasonal pattern (often the fall or winter) and which consistently dissipates in the other seasons (often spring or summer). There are evidence-based treatment approaches, such as medication, light therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy that are all effective ways to address seasonal depression.

  • If you are interested in medication for depression, we will discuss your options and work collaboratively with you and your prescriber to determine the best next steps. Medication for depression can be tremendously helpful in providing stability and an increased sense of energy to engage in therapy or daily life.

  • At times, feeling depressed can lead to extreme hopelessness where hurting yourself or suicide seem like better options to continuing to feel how you feel.

    If you are feeling this way, please dial 988 (in 2022, this number has replaced the prior 800 number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline) or visit the Lifeline Chat for emotional support. Both resources operate 24/7. If you are in immediate crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room for help. If you start to feel this way in therapy, we encourage you to share this with your therapist immediately so they can provide the support you need. While it may be scary to, sharing is the first step to taking care of yourself and feeling better.