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Depression Treatment.

Depression is more than just feeling sad, or blah…
It’s a persistent feeling of low mood, emptiness or hopelessness, day in, day out, and unfortunately may go unaddressed for years. ALL of our clinicians are passionate about & professionally trained to support you in the treatment of depression so as to help you live the life you want to live.

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What is Depression?

While it is perfectly normal for all people to have days where they feel low, down, sad, or blah, depression is more than this. It is when these feelings continue nearly everyday for all of the day for weeks and weeks, and months, and even years.

Psychologists find it helpful to have a Bio-Psych-Social model of depression (or it's formal diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder) where the changes and symptoms that someone may experience are seen to have a biological component to them (changes in mood, loss of pleasure, lethargy and feeling tired, changes to sleep and appetite, feeling agitated and irritable for example), a psychological component (such as loss of motivation to do the things that you usually have done, changes to how you think about yourself, others and also the world, and potentially also feeling hopeless and helpless and even worthless - which can also then give rise to suicidal thoughts), and a social component (withdrawing from your friends, work colleagues, family, and social connections).

When should I seek help for Depression?

When all of the above start to combine and happen all at once it can be very understandable why someone may struggle to keep doing the things that they would normally do in their lives, and also why it can be hard to keep going or see things changing. It is also why recovering from an episode of depression isn't as simple as seeing the positive in something, or smelling the roses, or just pulling your socks up and getting on with it! In fact many people who are experiencing depression may not seek support or treatment of some kind for a very long time. However, like with everything, the earlier we get help the easier the recovery path may be.

Treatment for Depression

Treatment for depression is varied and there's not one pathway to recovery, so finding what works and fits for you is always the best way to go. Some people can experience an episode of major depression and recover over time on their own with the support of those around them, but without professional support.

For other people however it will be most helpful to speak with a mental health professional to help support their recovery. A good place to start may be your GP who can then assess whether a medication such as an antidepressant or perhaps melatonin for sleep could be helpful, they will also discuss with you whether you could benefit from speaking to a Psychologist or a Clinical Psychologist so as to receive psychological support through an evidence based treatment approach (outlined below). It may also be possible that your GP will recommend speaking to a Psychiatrist for help with diagnosis (for example when your depression may be part of Bipolar Disorder, or for additional help with specific medications that would be best to support you).

A psychologist/clinical psychologist can assist you with understanding and diagnosing your depression, they will also typically explore a formulation related to what is happening in your life, and also discuss with a BioPsychoSocial model for understanding depression and the subsequent treatment strategies.

Treatment Approaches for Depression

✅ Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

✅ Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

There are also other treatment approaches such as ECT (Electro-convulsive therapy) and TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) which are more medical approaches that could be helpful if you have tried medication and psychological treatments and need some additional support to have an improvement in your depression. Though these would typically be explored and discussed with a Psychiatrist.

Symptoms of Depression

The symptoms that you, or someone you know may be depressed may be subtle and varied, however, generally it's looking out for things that are out of character, or have been going on for a while and are not changing or improving.

You may notice changes in yourself or in others related to behaviours, thoughts, feelings, and physical wellbeing.

Here is a list of some of the possible signs and symptoms you may experience or notice in someone:

Change in Behaviour

  • being more snappy or easily irritable with things that they would normally be OK with

  • saying no to social things, staying at home a lot, and not replying to calls/messages from friends & family

  • not completing school or work tasks as they would normally (not starting things, or not getting them done in time)

  • stopping or missing usual pleasurable activities related to hobbies and interests (sports/dance/trivia etc)

  • Forgetting things more than usual

  • Not being able to concentrate as well as normal (for example, finding it hard to watch TV shows or movies, not being able to read books)

  • crying more easily or more than usual

Change in Thoughts

  • there's no point

  • I'm worthless

  • nothing will change or get better

  • people would be better off without me

  • there's always something bad that's going to happen

Change in Feelings

  • unhappy or sad

  • empty or numb

  • lonely

  • easily frustrated or irritable

  • overwhelmed or at their wits end

  • lacking confidence

  • guilty all the time, even for little things or things not directly related to them

Change in Physical Wellbeing

  • feeling tired/ lethargic all the time, having no energy - even if they have slept for many hours

  • changes to sleep (for example, delaying sleep, early morning wakening - being wide awake in the early hours of the morning, or sleeping for many more hours than usual)

  • changes to appetite (a decrease in appetite or an increase in appetite) and eating behaviours - not finishing meals, eating less, skipping meals, not wanting to eat things that they would normally enjoy; or eating more often or different types of foods than usual.

  • experiencing more headaches and migraines

Diagnosing Depression

A health professional (GP, Psychologist/Clinical Psychologist, Psychiatrist) explores whether the above signs and symptoms have been happening, for how long, and how regularly, and then will discuss with you whether you meet criteria for a diagnosis of a mood disorder such as Major Depressive Disorder.

Diagnosis isn't everything, and it can be problematic, however, sometimes having it confirmed and validated that what you are going through is definitely something to take seriously and have support with can be very helpful.

7 Quick Tips to help with Depression & low mood

If you are wondering whether perhaps you are depressed there may be some things that you could consider starting as well as speaking to your GP or mental health practitioner.

Most of the tips we would recommend will target the signs and symptoms that we have explored previously:

  1. Sleep
    Establish a good sleep routine before bed

  2. Activity/exercise
    If you can see if you can add some more movement/activity/exercise back into your daily/weekly routine (walking, returning to a sport, swimming, dancing for example)

  3. Social Connections
    Consider someone who is close to you that you haven't had much contact with lately and perhaps send them a sms or email or if you're up for it give them a call. Perhaps set up a weekly time to chat to them for 10-15min.

  4. Start small
    Make small changes consistently, and if and when you're ready increase them and do a little more

  5. Self-care
    If you've stopped showering as often, or brushing your teeth, or washing your clothes, or having your hair done - it may help to set realistic goals to see if you can achieve these things again

  6. Pleasure
    Pick one thing that you used to enjoy and see if you could make a plan to do that again, and see if you could resume a habit around that activity

  7. Routine
    Most of us respond positively to having something to get out of bed for, and have regular things we achieve/do during the day - therefore working on resuming a routine to your day may help


If you are up to trying one or more of the above please remember that it won't make everything suddenly better, and you may benefit from the support of a professional to help with the above and more. Therefore the last tip is to have a think about who you can talk to so as to ensure you don't feel alone in your journey with recovering from depression.

+ Additional Resources for Depression & low mood.

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our best Recommended Videos for Depression ↓

Mood monitoring diary

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our best Recommended Apps for Depression ↓

myCompass: Free mood diary from the Black Dog Institute
Smiling Mind: Free mindfulness app

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our best Recommended Organisations for Depression ↓

Black Dog Institute: Support for Depression
Beyond Blue: Learn about Depression