Depression Treatment
Is depression impacting your relationships and well-being? Depression can slowly take over your whole life, and leave you feeling flat, de-energized and uninterested in the things that used to make you happy. It can overwhelm you with stress, sadness and hopelessness, and make you feel like you’ve lost yourself in the process.
Concerned people in your life like your wife, girlfriend, friends and family have started telling you that they're worried — that they’re seeing a different version of you. Medication might be helpful, but it usually serves as a quick fix that fails to address the root of your depression.
Depression can also affect men and women differently. Sometimes, men get angry and will mask their underlying depression as a result. Some report feeling agitated or irritable rather than sad and down. Depression is also enmeshed with shame and self-abuse, which work as a vicious and continual cycle that keeps you down.
As part of depressive thinking, many depressed men fall into criticizing themselves, or feeling ashamed because they’re depressed, which only adds to their overall low-point.
Alternately, you might “wall off” from relationships and emotionally withdraw. This leaves loved ones feeling as if they can’t reach you anymore. You withdraw to be alone, even though you’re also feeling lonely at the same time. In addition, it’s hard for many depressed guys to ask for help, or to explain what they’re feeling. You don’t want to seem weak for asking for help.
If you’ve been dealing with symptoms that point to depression and decided that seeing a counselor may help you feel calm and confident again — we welcome you to our practice.
There’s no weakness in admitting you might be depressed. It’s normal to feel alone and isolated in your depression, but there are lots of other struggling guys who share the same experience.
Many Men Experience Depression
Maybe your life hasn’t turned out the way you want, professionally, romantically, or financially — and you’re depressed as a result. You’ve failed to realize your goals and dreams, and have “settled into a rut,” that might be described as depression. It’s possible that you’ve kept yourself stuck in this place for years, through denial or resignation. But this is no way to live.
Depression is sometimes situational — the attendant byproduct of a troubled marriage or relationship. Men get depressed and stay stuck in their depression after months of unhappiness within their relationship. Then, as they get labeled the “problem” in their marriage, this only leads them to see themselves as broken and crawl deeper into their depressive state.
For depressed guys, the first tough hurdle is just admitting that you might be feeling depressed. Struggling in silence won’t help, and there is no shame or weakness in admitting you’re feeling down or stuck and in need of treatment. It takes a lot of courage and strength to get the right care you need.
Some depressed guys also come up with strategies like listening to self-help podcasts, or going to the gym, but see limited results. These are more like short-term coping methods that never get to the underlying drivers of male depression, like irrational beliefs, self-esteem issues, or relationship-driven issues. More often, guys fall into destructive behaviors like drinking, marijuana, porn use, cheating or other problematic cycles meant to alleviate the effects of depression. In reality, these behaviors mask the actual issues and create an added layer of problems.
Depression counseling can help you see what you can’t see for yourself. It provides a 360 degree panoramic of your life that broadens your view of who you are and what you can achieve in the world.
I am a compassionate therapist with many years of experience treating clinical depression. I understand the dynamics of male depression, and would like to help you with yours. You deserve to feel like you’re a part of your own life again.
There is a way out of depression for you. Let’s find it together.
Proper therapy can lift the fog of depression and lead you to clearer thinking. You’ll feel less fuzzy and more able to make better decisions and choices for yourself. Because depression zaps your energy, and leaves you feeling fatigued, unmotivated and sluggish, you’ll find that appropriate treatment can increase your all-around energy and motivation. You’ll achieve deeper, more restful sleep, and make other lifestyle changes that lift and enhance your daily moods and mental state.
Together, you and I will come up with goals for how we’ll work on your depression. We will devise a structure and a plan for what to expect as you move through depression counseling.
First, we talk and identify the specific components of your depression, and identify what you’d like to achieve through therapy. We’ll examine factors that might be keeping you depressed, everything from your current mental health and your negative beliefs about yourself and the world, to your relationships, upbringing, family of origin, and the repressed emotions that might be affecting your current lifestyle choices. It sounds like a lot, but all of these factors heavily influence how your depression comes and goes. By understanding them, you prevent your depression from worsening in the future.
Crucially, I will help you not only cope with depression, but identify its deep-rooted causes. Coping skills, while useful, seldom get to the crux of the issue. Depression in men often expresses itself as anger or shame that may be masking deeper feelings of fear, sadness and powerlessness. By getting to the core of these matters, you will find yourself liberated from their unconscious hold over you.
Therapy for depression allows you to engage with others in deeper, more meaningful and fulfilling relationships. This includes your partner or spouse. I will work with you on developing better self-awareness, identifying important relationship patterns, and helping you improve communication. Your family or friends may comment that you’re more present and available to them, and that you seem more “there.” You’ll begin to break down the emotional walls you’ve built that stand between you and those you care about in your life.
I draw from Gestalt Therapy techniques in our depression treatment work to help you connect with yourself in the here-and-now, often using awareness exercises to help you get out of your head and into your body, and experience the physical-mental regions where blocks to your happiness are located.
Lastly, you’ll achieve a more productive work life. Rather than feeling unmotivated and unproductive, you’ll actually desire to work. Your employer will witness a measurable spike in your interest and drive. If you’re unhappy in your job, or if it’s your job or career that’s making you depressed, you’ll at last find the motivation to look for the job or career your desire.
For over 20 years, I’ve worked with dozens of men and seen them free themselves from the weight of their depression. Imagine what it will feel like when you’re no longer weighed down by the cloud of depression. Your work, relationships, and social situations will all feel better. You’ll be more engaged with your life, more optimistic about your future, more prepared to live out your potential.
You may still have questions or concerns about depression treatment
“What’s the difference between taking medication for my depression and seeking counseling?”
While antidepressants are helpful in alleviating depression symptoms, they may not be enough. They may not get to the root of your unique issues which may have started building early in your life. With help from your doctor, you might find that therapy and antidepressants in combination may be the most worthwhile route.
“I’m skeptical of therapy for depression. Can it really help me?”
Counseling can do a lot to reduce your depression. It can help you manage the symptoms of your depression, while working on the deeper themes that cause it to persist. Having access to a professional, properly trained depression counselor and a safe space helps alleviate a significant portion of the burden.
“I’ve been able to handle things myself. Why would I see a counselor now?”
Many guys wait to seek out counseling until things in their lives have gotten too hard to handle. You might be employing similar thinking: that you’re the only one in your head, so you’ll just handle it yourself and maybe it will eventually go away.
It’s okay to admit you might not know how to deal with your depression. But we can’t solve problems with the same limited thinking and seeing that are creating the problems to begin with. You need to give them a fresh pair of eyes and ears.
For years, I have seen many men struggle to crawl out of the depression pit for good. Many of them report how their lives have drastically adjusted, and how they’re more hopeful about their future.
You can find relief beyond your depression.
Contact us at our counseling office to see how we can work together in therapy to help you feel better. Don’t wait for things to get worse, and don’t resign yourself to an unhappy life. We’ll work together to help you stop doing what no longer works for you in your life. I invite you to call us today at 602.309.0568, or schedule an appointment online, to talk about your depression.
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