Depression

You’ve been sad before, and you’ve been able to cope but now you don’t even feel sad. You just feel empty and maybe guilty. Your friends and loved ones try to get you out of the house or do things with you to help you “snap out of it” but they don’t get it. You’re able to put on a face, pretend you’re having a good time. Maybe you can even laugh and smile to make them feel better. To help yourself avoid the guilt. You may be sleeping poorly or too much. You feel fatigued and listless. Maybe you’re not eating as much as you used to, or maybe you’re eating a lot more than you used to. You don’t have much interest in doing anything and you’d rather be left alone. It’s hard to concentrate and even harder to escape feelings of guilt, sadness, hopelessness, and emptiness. You don’t have to feel all of these symptoms of depression to need help. Many people experience some or all of the symptoms described below.

Depressed Mood

If you were able to tell anyone how you’re feeling you’d say you were “sad” or “empty” or “hopeless”. You don’t think about the future much and if you do you’re prone to think about it negatively. You find yourself tearing up frequently. Things seem bleak, dark, and colorless. You don’t think very highly of yourself and frequently think things will never get better.

Depression treatment focuses on understanding the automatic negative thoughts underlying most depression. Understanding these thoughts in the first step in examining them to see if they’re really true. Under proper treatment we nearly always find that these thoughts feel more true than they are. Understanding them is the first step in preventing them so depression doesn’t escalate. Neil T. Hetzel, MS, LPC practices an evidence-based therapy called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which helps clients recognize depression producing thought patterns and develop new thoughts and behaviors that can drastically reduce anxiety. Through CBT you can regain control of your thoughts and your life.

Loss of Interest

You used to like hanging out with friends or families, hobbies, even sex. Now all of those seem like a chore. You’d rather stay home and be alone. You can’t imagine why you would ever want to go anywhere or do anything. Maybe you’ve even tried to “cheer up” like others have told you to do by attempting to do the things you once enjoyed. But the last time you tried, it only made things worse.

Many times people who suffer from depression have been through it before. Through CBT Neil can help you understand how to determine if the thoughts you have are true or just feel true. He can help you to learn proven techniques to dispute and examine these thoughts, reducing their impact on your depression. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is the most researched type of talk therapy and is show to be the most effective in treating depression.

Weight Loss, Weight Gain, Sleep Problems

You don’t eat breakfast, maybe nibble on something for lunch, and rarely finish your dinner. The thought of food is kind of gross to you. You’ve lost some weight recently and the irony is that people are complimenting you. Or maybe you’re eating a lot more. You’ve gained some weight but you find comfort in eating fast food, sugary food, and soda. You know it’s not good for you and you beat yourself up afterward. Perhaps you used to sleep seven or eight hours a night but now you sleep twelve, or maybe you can only sleep for a few hours here and there.

Many people who suffer from depression hear conflicting information about its symptoms and are confused, putting off therapy because they don’t think they’re experience matches the description. The truth is that while depression does have a common set of symptoms they can vary from person to person. Some people sleep too much, and others not enough. Some cannot eat while others eat comfort food. Either way, talking about your depression with a trained and licensed professional experienced in treating depression can provide a release valve. Neil is a caring and compassionate professional who will listen non-judgmentally. He’ll never tell you to “snap out of it”. Neil will teach you the skills proven to help reduce depression.

Feelings of Worthlessness, Helplessness and Guilt

You think about failures a lot. The spouse, your job, your friends, they don’t know the truth. You think of yourself as a failure. Any thought about what could be turns into “nothing will ever get better”. The future seems bleak. You may not believe that you have much control over your life, that you’re trapped in a job you don’t like or a relationship that isn’t fulfilling. You briefly consider making changes but then think “what’s the use?”. You don’t have much confidence.

It’s important to understand that these thoughts are not true despite *feeling* true. Neil Hetzel will help you to understand while despite feeling like the truth, these thoughts and the beliefs that inspire them are themselves the very source of depression. You have the ability to change these thoughts and beliefs. You can be happy and fulfilled again. Cognitive-Behavioral therapy techniques address both the thoughts and the behaviors that drive depression and help you to develop skills targeted to both areas. Many people who have suffered from depression no longer feel depressed. Neil believes that you are one of those people and he wants to help you.

If The Above Items Describe You, Neil Is Here To Help

Neil T. Hetzel, MS, LPC specializes in treating depression. He uses an evidence-based and research-supported technique called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify thoughts that cause depression. Once depressive thoughts are identified, Neil helps his clients modify or eliminate them and depression is reduced. Through behavioral techniques Neil helps his clients developing healthy coping skills that allow them to face life’s challenges without suffering debilitating stress and anxiety. Neil works with clients who have: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.

Neil T. Hetzel is an LGBT friendly, Licensed Associate Counselor and a Nationally Certified Counselor. Neil is also a member of the American Counseling Association. His office is located in Chandler, and is a short drive from Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe. He is able to offer both daytime and evening hours. Contact Neil for your free, 20 minute phone consultation to ask any questions about anxiety treatment or his practice: 623-850-8103. You can also contact Neil via email at neil@neilhetzel.com.