Swank Counseling  21 Robin Hood Lane   Troy, OH      (937) 339-9876
We have moved to 21 Robin Hood Lane off North Market in Troy. We are the first office on the right facing Robin Hood. [Directions]

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            We specialize in getting you an appointment quickly.  We offer most people an appointment in less than 48 hours.
 

Problems we help solve:

• Feeling Stuck
• ADD/ADHD
• Marriage/Relationships
• Parenting
• Depression
• Stress and Anxiety
• Anger Management
• Addictions
• Bipolar Spectrum
• Alcohol /Substance Abuse
• Repetitive Behaviors
• DIY/Self Therapy  

• Challenging Kids

Practical Signs of Depression

Depression is the focus of attention during the month of December across the United States. As a mental health counselor, I see many people with depression, and while I use the standard guidelines, I have discovered that there are a number of practical things I look for. So I’ll share some of my tricks that I use to try to figure out if someone is depressed and how depressed they are.

1. Where is your mood thermostat set? I believe that each person appears to have a mood thermostat that is set by many things outside of their control. Think of a scale from zero-100. At the zero end, your mood is so bad that you wish a dump truck would run over you and put you out of your misery. At the 100 end, life is so good and wonderful you can’t believe what fortunate luck you have. Thus a mood of 65 or 70 is pretty good, a mood of 50 is so-so, and a mood of 25 or 30 is fairly discouraged and blue. Think about where your mood tends to be during the last week or the last month. If it averages below 50, you are probably somewhat depressed.

2. Do you have a "slippery mood?" Do you work really hard to get your mood up, and it seems to slide down quickly? No matter how hard you try to get your mood up to a higher level, it just won’t "stick" there.

3. How well do things "roll off your back?" I like to picture a duck in a rain storm. When a duck is doing well, the water runs off, and the duck appears to be thinking, "No sweat, I’m a duck, and this is no big deal." When your mood is down, things don’t roll off your back. Rather everything that happens feels like stabs to the heart. When your mood is good, you shake off little and big things, and take them in stride. But that is impossible when your mood is low.

4. Do you go to sleep but seem to wake up about 2-4 hours later and just can’t get back to sleep? People who are depressed tend to have this pattern. Mornings seem especially difficult. When you wake up, you just don’t feel rested. Sometimes you just can’t feel good until later in the day if you are struggling with depression.

5. Are you "over-thinking" things, especially negative things in your life? Does your mind seem stuck on unpleasant hurts and feelings of worthlessness?

6. Do you have thoughts of suicide or wish that you would die? These are often unwanted thoughts that seem to intrude in your life for no apparent reason. Thoughts of suicide are like running a fever when you are sick.  It is a sign that something in the body is struggling, and you should not ignore it.

When your brain chemistry has changed because of a depressive state, these thoughts seem to happen automatically. It is a signal to you that you are depressed and need to take action. You should feel no more guilt over suicidal thoughts than running a fever.  But you should take immediate action, since it is dangerous to ignore these warning, since you may feel more and more hopeless.

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