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We all feel sad, flat, or low sometimes. These natural human emotions are often accompanied by a lack of energy, a desire to withdraw from other people and some negative thoughts. While these feelings can be very uncomfortable, it is normal and even helpful to experience low mood from time to time. However, if your bouts of low mood are particularly severe, happen regularly, last for prologued periods of time, or impact your ability to function in daily life then you may be suffering from depression.
Despite how alone depression can make you feel, it is an extremely common mental illness that approximately one million Australian’s experience each year (this amount is likely underreported as many do not seek treatment).
Depression can zap your energy and make life feel hopeless, but help is out there. Studies show that many people who engage actively in treatment, either in the form of talk therapy, medication, or some combination of the two, experience a significant reduction in their symptoms of depression.
If you think you might be suffering from depression and would like to speak with a registered psychologist for depression, the team at My Mirror are here to help. Explore our range of highly qualified and experienced practitioners and book a session today.
The symptoms of depression can be varied, but involve negative feelings, thinking patterns, physical symptoms and behaviours.
Negative feelings:
Experiencing a depressed mood is one of the primary symptoms of major depression and is often accompanied by a constellation of the following negative feelings:
Unhelpful negative thoughts:
Experiencing depression tends to create negative thinking patterns that perpetuate more negative feelings and behaviours also accompany depression. These unhelpful thoughts may sound something like:
Unhelpful behaviours:
When you are suffering from depression you tend to behave in ways that keep you trapped in a low mood and a negative head space. Some of these unhelpful behaviours include:
Physical symptoms:
The physical symptoms of depression can vary between individuals but often include a number of the following:
Depression is often caused by a constellation of factors. However, a prominent theory suggests that all people have varied levels of vulnerability to depression which is exacerbated by stressful life events. These stressful events can be anything from a painful breakup to the loss of a loved one or more long term stressors such as unemployment, poverty, social isolation, or domestic violence. However, it is also possible to experience a depressive episode in the absence of an obvious event or trigger.
Your predisposition or ‘vulnerability’ to depression is determined by your family history, genetics, personality, physical health and use of drugs and alcohol.
There are number of evidence-based psychological and medical interventions for depression as well several complimentary lifestyle changes that have been found effective at reducing depressive symptoms and/or maintaining an improved mood state in recovery.
According to the most recent Australian Psychological Society evidence-based interventions literature review, there are seven Level 1 psychological treatments for major depression including in-person and online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Interpersonal therapy (IPT) and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).
Each therapy has a different approach, but ll are based on the idea that how we think and behave directly influence how we feel (this is not quite right, as IPT is based more on the impact of our interpersonal relationships and connectedness). These therapies challenge the ‘truth’ of our thoughts, form less reactive cognitive patterns, create new habits, strengthen our relationships and ultimately alter our mood state. (again, Mindfulness-based therapy would not be about challenging at all but accepting) – Maybe, These therapies encourage us to become more aware of the challenges facing us and make helpful changes in how we think and behave and strengthen our connections and relationships to assist in improving our mental state and mood.
CBT is the most well-known and most-practiced therapy for depression and has been found to be similarly effective when delivered in person or online. The effectiveness of psychotherapy is determined by the commitment of the client – delving into your negative thought patterns and scheduling new behaviours can be hard, emotional work, but it is work worth doing.
If you are suffering from moderate to severe depression, your GP or psychiatrist may prescribe medical interventions, usually in addition to psychotherapy. Antidepressants are the most widely prescribed drugs for depression with a strong body of evidence in treating moderate to severe depression in adults. Antidepressants act on chemicals within your brain increasing the availability of neurotransmitters that are related to positive mood and motivation. Like any medication, antidepressants have side effects, and the effectiveness will vary from person to person. For severe treatment-resistant depression, electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been found effective in the short term after treatment.
There is evidence for several low-impact lifestyle changes and complementary therapies that can contribute to the effectiveness of your psychological treatment of depression. These include exercise, relaxation training, yoga, peer-support interventions (speaking either one-on-one or in a group with peers who have recovered from depression), light therapy (particularly for seasonal affective disorder, but also for non-seasonal depression), bibliotherapy (reading books that help you practice psychotherapy by yourself), and a variety of herbs.
If you have been struggling with depressive symptoms, know that help is out there. Talk to your GP about how you have been feeling and discuss your options. If you are eligible for a mental health care plan you can access up to 20 reduced cost sessions per year with My Mirror psychologists, otherwise private fee sessions are accessible. Find out more about how to access fast, effective professional help with My Mirror.
Just like face-to-face psychologists, our Registered Psychologists and Clinical Psychologists are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA), listed with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and individually approved by My Mirror.
We ensure all of our Clinical Psychologists and General Psychologists have current registration to practice with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and are listed with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). My Mirrors ensure all of our psychologists have the required credentials and qualifications, and have relevant experience in the treatment of adult mental health issues. They also undergo an interview process conducted by a team of us at My Mirror, to ensure they uphold the highest of standards in ethical care and work in line with evidence-based practices to guide your therapy.
My Mirror is an online psychology service available to anyone (within Australia) aged 13 years and over.
If you are aged 16 years or under, by using the My Mirror service you confirm that you have parental, guardian or GP consent.
Note: If you are under 13 years of age and interested in using our service, please contact our admin team on 1800 809 406 or info@mymirror.com.au. This will allow us to help you find a psychologist suited to your needs and explain the parental, guardian or GP consent we require before you use our service.
My Mirror supports private fee and medicare benefits. Please see full details in our pricing page.
A MHCP (mental healthcare plan) entitles you to Medicare* rebates for psychological treatment by registered psychologists. Under this scheme, individuals diagnosed with a mental health disorder or concerns can access up to 20 individual Medicare subsidised psychology sessions per calendar year.
*Medicare eligible clients
For private fee sessions that are not eligible for medicare rebates there is a price difference between booking your online session with a general psychologist and a clinical psychologist. If you have private insurance you may still be eligible to claim your sessions - please check with your provider.
At My Mirror we know how important it is to get access to mental health support, when and where you need it most. That’s why we provide bulk-billed sessions to those with a valid Medicare card living in Australia that meet certain criteria. For further information see our Bulk-billing page.
You may be eligible to use My Mirror telehealth services from just $96.50/session, if:
You may be eligible to use our telehealth services for a reduced cost, if**:
*For more details on rebates, discount codes and pricing structures please read our Terms of Service.
**For further information about employer discounts and private health insurance please speak to your employer and/or your private health insurance provider.
If you're looking to develop the tools required to build agency and strengthen your psychological resilience, then My Mirror is the right digital psychology service for you. We want to connect you with the right therapist for your needs, so you can take control of your mental wellbeing and become a healthier you with more productive relationships. My Mirror psychologists are all fully equipped with a wide range of expertise, and help treat the full range of Australians with varying levels of psychological distress.
Our psychologists treat specific mental health concerns such as, or associated with: stress, anxiety, depression, prenatal and post natal depression, relationships, parenting related issues, family conflict, addictions, drugs and alcohol, sleep issues, eating disorders, LGBT matters, bullying, trauma, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), religion, self-esteem, grief and more.
My Mirror will not be able to offer the right solution for you if:
Tele-tech sessions eliminate travel and wait times, it simplifies the whole process. Booking an online appointment is super easy, and low-cost, which is also really appealing.
I was able to book in almost immediately and was really grateful to be matched with a psychologist who suited both my situation and personality.
I live in a regional area with very little resources available for mental health. My Mirror was a great help and were super quick with any questions including how to add my mental health plan. Great work Mirror team