mckinney,allen,frisco,plano,dallas
Becki A. Hein, MS, LPC
at
Counseling & Consulting
Associates of North Texas
2750 W. Virginia,
Suite 108
McKinney, TX 75071
972-542-8144
     Have you experienced five or
  
more of these symptoms for two
              
weeks or longer?:

   Do you feel sad, anxious,
      
irritable, or “empty”, or do you
      
cry a lot?

   Have you lost interest or pleasure
      
in activities you used to enjoy,
      
including sex?

   Do you feel guilty, worthless,
      
helpless, or hopeless?

   Have you been sleeping too
      
much, or have you not been able
      
to fall asleep or stay asleep?

   Have you lost your appetite and
      
lost weight or have you been
      
eating too much and gained
      
weight?

   Do you feel very tired or slowed   
      
down?

   Are you thinking about death or
      suicide?

   Are you having trouble paying
      attention and making decisions?

  Are you having aches and pains that
    don’t get better with treatment?
   STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO BEGIN
           HELPING YOURSELF:

  Eat balanced meals and healthy food.

  Exercise every day to make yourself
     feel better and to get more energy.

  Start a journal in which you write
     
every night about the things for
     
which you are thankful, even if they
     
are very small things at first.

  Reach out for contact; stay in touch  
     with loved ones and friends.

  Get as much information as you can  
     about depression and its treatment.

  Take your medicine and/or go to  
     counseling.  Your medicine won’t
     
work if you only take it once in a
     
while and consistent help and
     
support from your therapist will help
     
you to change your thinking and
     
your mood.

  Learn to recognize and change
     
negative thinking.

  Be patient with yourself, don’t give
     
up.

  Don’t make major life decisions (for
     example about separation or
     
divorce).  You may not be thinking
     
clearly right now.

  Call your doctor or the local suicide
     
crisis center right away if you start
     
thinking about suicide.

  Believe that there is hope and that
     
you CAN feel better.
                                    More About Depression

     Life can be very stressful and everyone occasionally feel irritable or   
     "blue".  But these feelings are usually short-lived and pass within a couple of  
     days.   
If you find yourself feeling “down” and unable to function for weeks or
     months at a time, you could be suffering from  clinical depression.

     Many people with a depressive illness never seek treatment. But the majority,  
     even those with the most severe depression, can get better with treatment.
     Psychotherapy and/or medication can be very effective treatments for people
     suffering from depression.
   IMPORTANT: If you think you may be suffering from depression, then it is
   
important for you to take these steps:

  •  Visit your doctor. If you are suffering from symptoms of depression, the best place
    to start is a visit to your family physician.  Your doctor symptoms are due to
    depression, some other medical condition, or both.

  •  Start treatment. Usually, depression is treated with psychotherapy and/or
    medication.  

   Several types of psychotherapy can help people with depression. Two main types of
   
psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT), have
   
been shown to be effective in treating  depression.  For mild to moderate
   
depression, psychotherapy may be the best treatment option.  Studies  show that a   
   
combination of psychotherapy and medication often works best for treating  depression.

Becki A. Hein, MS, LPC
at
Counseling & Consulting
Associates of North Texas

2750 W. Virginia PKWY,
Suite 10
4
McKinney, TX 75071
972-542-8144

Call me
directly at
469-235-3123 if you have any
other questions or concerns.
Stop worring...Start living!!