Fresh Insight

Depression typically results from a combination of factors such as genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life experiences (i.e. trauma, chronic stress). There are also certain habits and unhealthy coping mechanisms that can cause someone to experience depression, including: avoidance, social isolation, and rumination, all of which can be addressed in therapy.

Being sad is a normal part of life. It's a natural emotional response to life events that involve loss, disappointment, or stress. However, "normal" sadness is typically temporary and linked to something specific. One is also still able to carry on with everyday life activities, such as going to work or interacting with others, even if energy and motivation are lower.

With depression, symptoms are persistent and ongoing. These symptoms include:

- Persistent sadness or low mood

- Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed

- Changes in sleep (sleeping too much or too little)

- Fatigue or low energy

- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

- Experiencing feelings of worthlessness or guilt

- Having thoughts of death of suicide

If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, please call 911 or 1-855-310-COPE, which is an anonymous hotline in the York Region.

You should seek help if symptoms persist for more than two weeks, if they're interfering with your daily life, or if you're having thoughts of harming yourself or others. You don't need to wait until you're in crisis—early intervention can often lead to better outcomes and you don't have to navigate this alone. Visit fresh-insight.ca/contact to book an appointment with one of our experienced clinicians.

Someone is likely to receive a diagnosis for depression if they're experiencing the following symptoms:

1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day

2. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all (or almost all) activities most of the day, nearly every day (this is called anhedonia)

3. Significant weight change (gain or loss) or change in appetite

4. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day

5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation observable by others

6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive/inappropriate guilt nearly every day

8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day

9. Recurrent thoughts of death or recurrent suicidal ideation

These symptoms must cause significant distress or impairments in social functioning, occupational functioning, and other areas of life.

Note that only psychologists and psychiatrists can diagnose mental health conditions in Canada. While Registered Psychotherapists and Social Workers can provide education about this disorder and informal assessments, it is considered outside of their scope of practice to provide a formal diagnosis.

Therapy can be highly effective for treating depression by:

1. Helping you understand pattern and triggers. Therapy can help you identify negative thought patterns, behaviours, and situations that contribute to (or worsen) the depression. developing this awareness is the first step towards changing patterns.

2. Teaching you practical skills. Therapists can teach concrete coping strategies and tools you can use daily. Oftentimes, depression is associated with rumination, avoidance, and social isolation—to name just a few components—and therapy can help address each of these. Additionally, therapy can help you learn techniques for challenging negative thoughts, managing stress, problem solving, and increasing activities that bring a sense of meaning to your life.

3. Building self-compassion. Many people with depression are extremely self-critical. Therapy can help you develop a kinder, more understanding relationship with yourself, which is crucial for healing.

Lifestyle changes can 100% help with depression! In fact, our clinic's Owner & Founder, Kristina Virro, is both a nutritionist and psychotherapist due to her interest in the ways in which mental health and physical health overlap. Research has shown that folks with depression can benefit from eating real, whole foods, supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids, and taking a vitamin D supplement in some cases to counteract any potential deficiencies.

Depression can be treated through a variety of approaches. In some cases, using a combination of the treatments below can lead to the most relief:

1. Psychotherapy: therapy is often a first-line treatment for depression so that you can learn how your thoughts, behaviours, and coping strategies are affecting you.

2. Medication: anti-depressants work by adjusting brain chemistry, particularly neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Common classes of medications that are prescribed for depression and anxiety are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) to boost levels of serotonin in the brain and Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), which affects serotonin and norepinephrine levels. Note that psychotherapists cannot prescribe medications; only a family doctor or psychiatrist can do this in Ontario.

3. Lifestyle changes: sleep, exercise, and nutrition all play a significant role in our mental health. Focusing on improving each of these areas can lead to very positive outcomes on mood and overall wellbeing.

4. Alternative/adjunct therapies: Fresh Insight believes that more natural, holistic treatments can be just as valuable as more "traditionally medical" ones. Some treatments that also help improve symptoms of depression include EMDR, hypnotherapy, and ketamine-assisted therapy.