Depression

What it looks like:

Apathy -not caring about anything, including sex, food, friendships, taking care of yourself.
Low energy, low motivation.
Increased isolation.
Irritability that makes you lash out at others, then lash out at yourself for this behavior.
Life seems more overwhelming, leaving important and necessary tasks undone.
Insomnia, or fatigue that leads to excessive sleeping.
Making more mistakes, even with things you know well, almost like your brain is sluggish and can't keep up.
Executive dysfunction that reduces your ability to plan, make decisions, manage time, control emotions, etc.

What it feels like:

Despair - there is no end, there is no way out.
Worthlessness - you can't take care of yourself or others, and thus have become a burden that should be eliminated.
Body aches that feel similar to being sick with the flu.
Anger that no one seems to be noticing what you're going through, or doesn't get it.
Numb, with no emotional connection to anything, unable to feel discerning factors such as likes or dislikes -it's all the same, with no meaning either way.
You become less and less of yourself, to the point that you don't even feel you exist anymore as a real human being.

How therapy can help:

While therapy is a daunting task when you are in the midst of a depressive episode, if you have made it to therapy, or asked for help, you are already on your way out. This is the hardest part.
Therapy provides hope, in that there are several treatments other than medication that do provide relief.
Uncovering the underlying beliefs you hold about yourself, others, and the future can help release you from the trapped thinking of depression.
Understanding the cycle of depression can alert you to an oncoming episode, allowing you to disrupt the cycle before it gets too deep.
There is a general aim of therapy to return you back to yourself. Even with all the thick layers of depression hiding you, you're still in there, parts of you can still be seen to anchor you back -like a lighthouse in fog.

Sometimes thinking we should be able to handle things on our own keeps us trapped.

If you are in a crisis or any other person may be in danger - don't use this site. These resources can provide you with immediate help.