Introduction & Theoretical Background
Everyone feels 'down' from time to time, but when you are depressed, your low mood can last for weeks at a time. While mild depression might not stop you from living your life, severe depression can make you feel suicidal and unable to function normally. Common symptoms of depression include:
- Feeling dejected or down for most of the time.
- Taking less interest in things that interested you before.
- Feeling fatigued or tired.
- Sleeping too much or too little.
- Feeling worthless, guilty, or very self-critical.
- Feeling indecisive or unable to concentrate.
- Thinking often of death or suicide, behaving suicidally, or harming yourself.
- Eating too little or too much.
- Feeling agitated, unable to sit still, or moving and speaking more slowly than normal.
Research studies have shown that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatments for depression (Cuikpers et al, 2020). CBT therapists work a bit like firefighters: while the fire is burning they aren’t very interested in