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Depression help in Calgary is finally increasing to support those who are dealing with the sometimes-debilitating effects of depression.

Depression is often misunderstood and I personally still find although there is an increase in awareness in depression, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s understood or accepted. Many suffering with the effects of depression can sometimes be told or feel like something is wrong with them; Only to then be told to get over it and move on. This is just simply not fair or even kind when dealing with depression.

Depression in psychotherapy is known as a mood disorder. In other words, depression can be when your personal mood is not doing well and you are dealing with a few or multiple personal mood challenges such as: Depressed mood, lack of interest in enjoyable activities, appetite changes, lack of sleep, no energy, feeling guilty, hopeless, concentration challenges, suicidal thoughts, agitation, undiagnosable psychosomatic symptoms, etc.

Now area of depression and the work I do with clients dealing with depression, I find over and over again, one of the primary areas in dealing with depression is that many individuals have one thing in common with depression; namely that depression is quite often, not always, an outcome of a deeper unresolved primary emotion known as anger. Sometimes I even wonder if it’s even deeper than anger and depression is an outcome of built up of unresolved rage.

I’d like to briefly describe and define possible unresolved anger as situations or circumstances in which past harm has occurred to an individual and if not dealt with can create a situation of unresolved anger. Depending how the harm was dealt with, or not, the harm/unresolved anger might have even been substituted with some kind of defensive mechanism to avoid dealing with the pain and anger, in order to protect yourself from this hurt. The challenge today is that what may have worked in your past to protect you from harm might not just be working anymore and now you might be in a place where you feel stuck and unmotivated, or life just is falling apart and as an outcome your mood shifts and changes have led you into a possible depressive state.

Often, not always, when unresolved anger is dealt with and resolved, relief of depression can be lifted and a path towards healing and wholeness can begin to occur.

Now to be fair, not all depression is a result of unresolved anger. Sometimes depression can be a physiological issue such as a chemical imbalance in the brain, or maybe you’re on certain medications that might be affecting your mood as a possible negative side effect. Because of these other possible reasons for depression, it Is important you consider seeing your doctor or a physiatrist to properly diagnose and support you with possible depression.

Now, if the situation regarding unresolved anger has not led to depression, that is a very good thing because you can now work towards dealing with your unresolved anger and avoid the negative symptoms of depression.

If clinically diagnosed with depression, you might be encouraged to seek mental and emotional support in order to deal with your depression. If that’s the situation you are dealing with, or a loved one you know is dealing with depression, it might be time to consider seeking a qualified Clinical Counsellor that can support you in dealing with your depression, especially, if it’s based in unresolved issues of anger and rage.   

So, I’d like to personally ask you what I consider to be the #1 depression question:

HOW ANGRY ARE YOU???