Mention the words "psychiatrist", "psychologist" or, worst of all, "counselor" to someone newly suffering depression and you had better be wearing a head guard and take a step back! The words "red rag" and "bull" may spring into your mind just before you hit the canvass!

Depression, for those who have never experienced it, is a deep, black abyss from which it often seems there is no escape. Talk of counselling in the early stages is usually unhelpful to the sufferer, who is wondering what this thing is that has happened to them. It is normal to feel alone, unloved and utterly helpless and a period of self-pity, however brief, is just about inevitable.

Just around that time when the loneliness and darkness are becoming totally unbearable is generally when a well-meaning friend or relative suggests to the sufferer that maybe they should seek some kind of help. That is when things become even worse, as the sufferer tells the relative or friend to mind their own business and get a life of their own.

Phase three is where the sufferer, in a brief moment of lucidity, realises that he/she has pushed away and probably hurt a good friend or relative and maybe really should seek some help. A doctor is visited and all too often prescription drugs are handed out with little or no appropriate counselling. If your physician handed you strong pain killers without even discussing the cause of the pain, you would almost certainly query it. But because it is your mind that it is hurting, it is all too common to just accept the prescription that is given without question and hope or even believe that it is a complete cure to your depression.

If you are depressive, are likely to become depressive (perhaps because of a family history) or even just somebody who wants to be prepared for the worst, there is an alternative which you should bear in mind and which you should tell a good friend, husband, wife, partner or parent about before you become depressed and feel unable to talk about it. That alternative is psychotherapy.

There are good and not-so-good practitioners around, and some are more qualified than others. While you are able, try to do a little local research and ask about results and treatments. A good therapist will take the time and trouble to explain things to you succinctly and thoroughly and if they offer a quick and permanent cure for depression, give them a wide berth!

Psychotherapy in its broadest form is about looking into yourself and trying to express some very complex feelings in words. It's about listening to yourself as well as to others and it is about finding new coping mechanisms within yourself. This could be on a one-to-one basis with a counselor or within a group of people. It's not as easy as just popping a pill - but in most cases it is far more effective, particularly in the long term.

There is a Facebook group about awareness of depression offering a forum for sufferers. This could be a place to start reading and thinking about next steps. And importantly, there is no charge for taking this first step and seeing how others cope and what they are doing.

Learn more about this author, Colin Morley.
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