Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes PhD, LPC-MHSP, LMHC

Executive Director, AllCEUs

Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox and Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery

Objectives

~ Define depression (symptoms)

~ Learn how to ask strengths-based assessment questions

~ Identify a range of potential causes for depression

~ Explore activities and interventions that can help people address some of the underlying causes

~ Depression represents a cluster of symptoms

~ Diagnosis with depression only requires people to have a few of the symptoms

~ A variety of different things can cause depression

~ Emotions: Anger, anxiety, grief, guilt, shame

~ Thoughts: Cognitive distortions

~ Relationships: Poor self-esteem, unhealthy/unsupportive relationships, need for external validation

~ Physical: Neurochemical imbalances, poor nutrition, exhaustion, insufficient sleep, medication side effects

~ Environmental: High stress environments that prevent relaxation/rest and increase hopelessness/helplessness

~ What does this mean to you? (apathy, sadness, mood swings)

~ Which symptoms are most bothersome for you and why?

~ For each symptom

~ What makes depression worse?

~ What makes depression better?

~ How was life more pleasurable prior to getting depressed?

~ What is different during when you are NOT depressed?

~ How do you expect life to be different when your depression is gone?

Neurotransmitters

~ Ability to feel pleasure/Apathy/Emotional Flatness

~ Memory issues

~ Difficulty concentrating

~ Sleep issues

~ Lack of motivation

~ Fatigue

~ Pain

~ Irritability/Agitation

~ Fight or flight stress symptoms

~ Get quality sleep

~ Create a routine

~ Address pain and apnea

~ Improve the sleep environment

~ Other factors: Shift work, time zones, daylight savings time

~ Relaxation

~ Biofeedback

~ Progressive muscular relaxation

~ Address medication side effects

~ Psychotropics

~ Opiates

~ Improve nutrition

Neurotransmitters

~ Address addictive behaviors

~ Address chronic or extreme stress

~ Refresher

~ Both of these increase the amount of neurotransmitters flooding the synapses.

~ To protect the body from overload, the brain shuts down some of the receptors so the body does not overload (tolerance/desensitization)

~ When the neurotransmitters return to a normal level, the receptors are still shut down, so not enough neurotransmitter gets sent out.

~ Things that normally caused a reaction, no longer are strong enough to cause a reaction

Hormones

~ Thyroid

~ Impact mood, libido and energy levels

~ Estrogen

~ Boosts neurotransmitters that affect sleep, mood, memory, libido, pain perception, learning and attention span.

~ Increased estrogen may increase the availability of serotonin Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews Volume 4 Number 1, March 2005 43-58

~ Low testosterone may be implicated in reducing the availability of serotonin

~ Testosterone is manufactured by the adrenal glands,

~ Enhances libido, improves stamina and sleep, assists brain function, and is associated with assertive behavior and a sense of well-being.

~ Cortisol

~ Cortisol is made by the adrenal glands.

~ Helps the body adapt to stress by increasing heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure.

~ Cortisol levels increase early in the morning to prepare to meet the demands of the day, and gradually decrease throughout the day (“circadian rhythm”).

~ DHEA

~ DHEA can also increase libido and sexual arousal. It improves motivation, engenders a sense of w