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Nov 12 2022

Are You Suffering From Seasonal Depression? – Try Virtual Online Therapy

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Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that begins and ends around the same time each year. SAD tends to start in the fall and continue into the winter months. The days get shorter, the weather gets colder and less pleasant, and people are less likely to engage in outdoor activities. While SAD is temporary, it can have a big impact on your quality of life during the season. That’s why it is a good idea to get therapy to elevate your mood. Fortunately, virtual online therapy is accessible, convenient, and effective.

What are the Symptoms of SAD?

People with SAD tend to suffer from symptoms similar to those of other forms of depression, including low energy, a feeling of hopelessness, withdrawal from social situations, sleepiness or insomnia, changes in appetite and body weight, poor concentration, and more. The exact cause of seasonal depression isn’t understood but there are several theories: lack of sunlight disrupting people’s circadian rhythms; lack of sunlight triggering changes in levels of hormones such as serotonin and melatonin; low vitamin D levels.

People who live in farther northern latitudes are more likely to be affected by SAD because they get less sunlight during winter.

SAD often occurs because people have low levels of serotonin—a neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation—that can cause them to feel depressed during these times of the year. Sunlight triggers changes in the levels of hormones such as serotonin, melatonin, and cortisol. Low vitamin D levels are also associated with seasonal effects like depression and anxiety.

How Common is It?

it’s estimated that between 50-70% of Americans experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which means there are millions of people living with this condition across the globe! However, not all cases will meet the criteria for official diagnosis; some individuals may show symptoms only once per year or even less frequently than that depending on their location relative to latitude/altitude, etc.

People who live in warmer climates have a longer summer season with more sunlight than their counterparts living in colder regions do. For example, Los Angeles has an average temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) and gets ample sunlight, which is why SAD is less common there. However, people in northern regions like New York and Boston are more prone to this problem because of their longer and more intense winters.

Seasonal Depression: Does Online Virtual Therapy Help?

For most people, therapy is a good treatment for seasonal depression. Patients can work with therapists to develop coping mechanisms and determine how to overcome this problem. There are different options like light therapy, traditional therapy sessions, and lifestyle changes to help you overcome the problem.

Light therapy involves sitting near a special light box for about half an hour or an hour daily during the fall and winter months. However, it isn’t a replacement for proper counseling sessions with a certified therapist.

Online virtual therapy has made it easier for people to deal with SAD. Here’s a look at some of the advantages:

  • eTherapy is very accessible. You can attend sessions from any location as long as you have access to the internet.
  • Online therapy is also more affordable than traditional therapy.
  • You can attend sessions discreetly from the comfort of your home.
  • There are different mediums of communication available. Some patients prefer to attend sessions through text or email while others prefer video calls.

If someone wants help with Seasonal Depression but doesn’t have access or means of getting treatment through usual channels, they can try online therapy. Most popular online therapy platforms offer a few free virtual therapy sessions. You can attend these to determine if they are a good choice for you.

Seasonal depression is a common condition that affects people all across the world. Although it can be difficult to manage, therapy can be an effective treatment option for many people who suffer from SAD. If you think you might have SAD this season, consult your doctor or therapist about different treatment options that would benefit your situation.

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FAQs For Seasonal Depression

1. Is seasonal affective disorder a real issue?

Yes, seasonal affective disorder is a real issue that affects thousands of people all over the world, especially those living in colder regions. While it isn’t as impactful as clinical depression, it can cause a great deal of distress to patients.

2. Is there home treatment for seasonal affective disorder?

Light treatment has been recommended for people suffering from seasonal affective disorder but it can be a bit challenging to get a special light box set up at home to replicate sunlight. A dedicated therapist will provide effective solutions that fit your means and circumstances.

3. Is there such a thing as seasonal or ‘winter’ depression?

Yes, seasonal depression usually occurs during winter when people are more like to spend time indoors and are less exposed to sunlight. It is easy to dismiss this as the ‘blues’ but SAD can have a significant negative impact on a person’s quality of life.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post and any associated articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect opinions or policies of eTherapyPro. These posts and articles are shared for your enjoyment and consideration. Read them or not at your sole discretion and liability. They are not intended to replace counseling services rendered by licensed professionals. Consult with your counselor before implementing any content from these articles into your life.

Written by Etherapy-Blogs · Categorized: Uncategorized · Tagged: causes of depression and anxiety, Depression, Depression Online Therapy, Seasonal Depression

Feb 28 2021

Depression is a Byproduct of Schizophrenia

Anxiety

Very much like depression, schizophrenia is also one of the first mental disorders that gave rise to the overall awareness about mental health as a serious concern. Schizophrenia is a very unique and rare mental disorder that disturbs the reality of the person affected by it. Schizophrenia is a very serious disease that greatly affects the patient’s behavior, which makes it a very versatile disease.

Unlike other mental disorders, like depression or anxiety, schizophrenia tends to directly affect the mind and hinders a person’s reality. This means that a person suffering from this disease can see people who otherwise do not exist or feel warmth in cold weather. These are only two of many examples that show how severe the disease is.

However, one of the greatest concerns that experts around the world share about schizophrenia is the possible damage that depression can cause with schizophrenia. Throughout the years, as awareness grew for mental illnesses around the world, both scientists and psychologists have found that depressive symptoms are not uncommon in people who have other mental illnesses.

Since it is very common for people with other mental illnesses to have depression, it is safe to say that people with schizophrenia will also experience it at some point; the real question is when.

One of the greatest difficulties that a psychologist faces is telling a patient with schizophrenia that whatever they believe is false. It is not only hard to explain to them how their beliefs are fake, rather the aftermath of this can be quite catastrophic. For a patient who has this grave disease, the time when they most likely become prone to depression is when they have to come to grips with reality.

Patients often show symptoms of extreme depression in the form of suicidal tendencies, insomnia, fatigue, and loss of appetite. All of the aforementioned symptoms reflect into depression and how it can greatly affect schizophrenia and exacerbate the original disease.

Another factor that can possibly influence depression in a person with schizophrenia is their inability to relieve themselves of their reality. Not only it is hard for a person with schizophrenia to accept that what they believe in isn’t real, but it is also very hard for them to let go or relieve themselves of their thoughts.

 

If you have been experiencing Depression please start a FREE trial of online counseling and get help today.

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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post and any associated articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect opinions or policies of eTherapyPro. These posts and articles are shared for your enjoyment and consideration. Read them or not at your sole discretion and liability. They are not intended to replace counseling services rendered by licensed professionals. Consult with your counselor before implementing any content from these articles into your life.

Written by Etherapy-Blogs · Categorized: Uncategorized · Tagged: causes of depression and anxiety, Depression, depression nature therapy, gratitude and depression, gratitude for depression, gratitude journal for depression, online group therapy for depression

Jul 09 2018

Environmental Causes of Anxiety

Environmental Causes of Anxiety

Environmental Causes of Anxiety: Your environment is everything around you, with which you may, or may not interact. That’s a very broad definition, because the environment is basically everything outside of you. It includes not just nature, and the biological, but the social as well. And all of it can cause stress and contribute to anxiety.

Anxiety and anxiety-based disorders are very similar in symptomology and in their function; they exist to help keep a person safe from harm and to manage the fight/flight/or freeze stress reaction. Anxiety disorders exist when the feeling and physical reaction are so severe or chronic that they interfere with day to day living.

Common Environmental Causes of Anxiety

The causes of anxiety and anxiety disorders can vary but will fall into either the genetic or environmental categories. Looking at the environmental causes, the biological are some of the most controllable. Psychotropic substances, or substances which affect an individual’s thought and emotional states, are some of the more common causes of anxiety. Of these substances, caffeine would be the most common.

Caffeine is a stimulant that speeds up the nervous system, and can cause racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing among other things. It is highly correlated with anxiety and can either cause anxious or nervous feelings and behaviors or exacerbate already existing anxiety problems. Other drugs can cause similar symptoms, with methamphetamines as one example.

Probably the most common environmental source of anxiety are events that happen in everyone’s life. Situations that involve loss, or sudden and unexpected change often bring about anxiety. For example, finding out your parents are getting a divorce can be shocking and a sudden change, that can elicit tremendous anxiety in children. Getting fired from work, as another example, will bring out vast amounts of stress and uncertainty about the future. The key here is that suddenly the future is uncertain, and what was thought was normal and planned out, is now a big unknown.

Traumas also cause a lot of damage, chief among this is anxiety. Trauma is known to create many different symptoms, mainly those that are anxiety-based. Post-traumatic stress disorder highlights this, with hyper-vigilance, intrusive thoughts, and general anxiety. It is like a wound in the mind, and it forces the person to keep going, acting like the attack or damage is going to come again and again. It is draining to keep going at that rate to say the least.

Anxiety comes from many different sources, but it looks very similar from each source. The key is that anxiety is treatable, no matter what causes it. A combination of medication, education, and talk therapy can be helpful in lessening the severity of it or eliminating it altogether. Help is out there from a variety of mental health professionals.  Many individuals have found success with a counselor from an online therapy service. These services are much more convenient than face to face appointments, and can be much less expensive.

 

Talk to an expert about anxiety today! Start a trial of online counseling.

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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post and any associated articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect opinions or policies of eTherapyPro. These posts and articles are shared for your enjoyment and consideration. Read them or not at your sole discretion and liability. They are not intended to replace counseling services rendered by licensed professionals. Consult with your counselor before implementing any content from these articles into your life.

Written by OldeTherapyPro · Categorized: Uncategorized · Tagged: anxiety attack causes, anxiety causes and symptoms, anxiety environmental factors, causes of anxiety and panic attacks, causes of anxiety disorder, causes of depression and anxiety, causes of extreme anxiety, causes of severe anxiety, common causes of anxiety, Environmental Anxiety, environmental anxiety symptoms, Environmental Causes of Anxiety, environmental causes of generalized anxiety disorder, environmental causes of social anxiety disorder, environmental factors of anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder causes, possible causes of anxiety

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