Marlon Familton, MA LMHC
1601 116th Ave NE, Ste. 102
Bellevue, WA  98004
425-417-4700
Mental HealthDepression is often a result of a deep need, an emptiness not being fulfilled.



Read the criteria for Depression

DepressionDepression

 

Certainly depression can be the result of neurotransmitters not working right and of course anti-depression medication can be helpful.  However, often depression is the result of your body responding correctly to the environment.

When you are facing challenges in life, naturally you will try to fight and change what is happening.  If you cannot fight and change it, you will eventually try to get away.  If neither is an option and the intolerable situation continues,  your body will move into the other often forgotten response that is part of the "fight or flight" system: freeze - depression.

When whatever is intolerable continues and the emotional pain is unceasing, it is not uncommon for people to finally conclude that not being here, ending their life, seems like viable option.  Self harm may also become an escape from the emotional pain.

Depression is best battled with medication and counseling.  Medication can make your body more susceptible to positive changes in your environment, but it cannot change your environment.  Counseling can help you identify the deep emptiness you feel and underlying needs that are unmet.  It can help you find options where you did not think they existed.  These options are threads of hope to begin changing your life. 

Your thoughts are also powerful allies for depression that need to be questioned and perhaps changed.  Tools such as Lifespan Integration Therapy and Byron Katie's "The Work" are a couple of ways I work to help battle and defeat depression.  Together, we can unwind your depression and fight that battle for your freedom.

Should you treat Anxiety & Depression with Medication or Counseling?