What Is Postnatal Depression and How Can Counselling Help to Alleviate It ?

While the arrival of a baby is regarded as a joyful occasion, sometimes it can peculiarly trigger bouts of depression and gloominess in the mother. Although it is quite rare, one in every seven women can suffer from postnatal depression. The most common symptoms include feelings of guilt and anxiety, which are often accompanied by chronic insomnia and loss of appetite. Some mothers may even feel emotionally drained and inefficient.

Postnatal depression can set in at any time, even after the baby is days, weeks or months old. It is significantly distinct from antenatal depression or the “baby blues”, which affects about 10 percent of expectant mothers and occurs mainly because of hormonal changes taking place during pregnancy. In Australia, physicians and psychologists are of the opinion that one in every 16 new mothers suffer from postnatal depression. These women may feel unprepared to meet with the demands of their newly achieved motherhood, and the expectations of people around them. At times, even a feeling of lost identity can prevail and make the sufferer seem unconnected with the world. Some women even tend to withdraw themselves from their loved ones, including their spouse and child. This can further worsen the situation by souring the relationship between couples, and increase emotional tension amidst already tough circumstances.

Although no conspicuous influencing factor has been found so far, many experts believe that postnatal depression may result due to the hormonal changes which take place during pregnancy as well as childbirth. Moreover, the duties that are thrusted onto a woman when she enters motherhood can also be responsible. According to latest research and studies, it has been found that women going through unexpected pregnancies are more likely to suffer from postnatal depression.

If a woman is suffering from postnatal depression, there are several ways by which she can be treated effectively. The most popular treatment methods are support counselling and talking therapies. Both of them can be very helpful in cases of mild to severe postnatal depression. Such treatments usually make use of many different techniques for identifying and managing the associated negative thoughts, behaviours and feelings. This is done by allowing the patient to share her personal experiences that may help her to feel understood and supported.

Jade Couquax is a reputed French psychologist practising in Bondi Beach. She uses her expertise in the fields of counselling, mental health & women’s health for treating a wide range of psychological disorders. If you are suffering from postnatal depression, book an appointment with Jade today.

Counselling Helped Me to Chase Away Hopelessness

After starting my fourth year in high school, I often use to have a feeling of something being amiss. But it was not until several weeks that I became quite cognizant of what was actually going on. I started becoming extremely fatigued during the day, and shunned away from society as often as possible. It was so hard to control the expression that my lachrymose face revealed in front of people.

Although I really missed my amazing friends and the school during vacations, I could not fathom the reason why all of this faded away when I went back. I told my parents about the unusual mental problems I had been experiencing and they tried desperately to help. But all their efforts were simply in vain. Even my friends were perplexed and saddened by the strange behaviour I was exhibiting.

It was not that I disliked my studies or hated my students or teachers. Neither could I comprehend nor explain to others what the actual problem was. I was lost and desperately trying to get rid of the feeling of hopelessness gripping onto me day by day. When the first term began to slip away from my hand and my teachers called in my parents to report about my poor performance in the class tests, I decided to help myself by seeking the help of a counsellor.

One of my aunts told me about Jade Couquax, a French psychologist in Bondi who was renowned for her exceptional counselling skills. I wasted no time and immediately booked an appointment with her. During my first visit, she contracted me for 5 sessions. But soon after we started to discuss about my persistent psychological problems, she realised that my treatment would require more follow-ups. There was something very relaxing in the way she interrogated me, and I did not feel any kind of intimidation while confronting and answering her questions.

As time passed by, I started feeling more and more confident about myself. The conversations I had with Jade helped me to relax and have better thoughts. My condition kept improving significantly and I was able to concentrate on my studies better. I no longer felt the need to run away from people and my parents and friends were more than happy with my positive change. I still remember my last session with Jade, how she made me feel like she would always be there to help me. She said her doors would remain open for me, if my demons tried to come back ever again.

Guest Author: I, Katherine Saavedra, 18, am presently studying in the fifth year of high school. I love reading books, listening to music, playing guitar and watching movies.

Counseling What is it and What are its Various Therapy Formats

Counseling What is it and What are its Various Therapy Formats from counsellingbondi

Counselling Bondi offers women & couple counseling in Bondi. Here the psychologist in Bondi does relationship counseling, counselling for depressed women & more.

When to Seek Psychological Counselling?

Maintaining a proper and sound mental health is as important as caring for physical fitness of the body. For having a healthy mind, a person must be free from anxiety, depression, excessive stress, addictions and various other psychological issues. But it is not always easy to keep oneself away from these problems, especially in the modern times when our lives are filled with busy schedules and hecticness. Therefore, it is important to understand when to seek psychological counselling. 

Some of the conditions that require mental health counselling are as follows:

Suicidal Thoughts and Tendencies :

Individuals contemplating on suicide or harming themselves must be administered with professional psychological counselling. Their safety should be secured properly and steps should be taken to determine if they are a potential danger to the safety of others. After a suicidal individual receives the first evaluation, appointment must be set for a session in future.

Signs of Depression :

Talking therapy can help to curb down the symptoms of acute depression such as feelings of despair and hopelessness, loss of interest in favourite activities, anxiety, weight loss or gain, and changed sleeping habits. Physicians can administer screening for the signs of depression and also refer the patient to some reputed psychologist or therapist.

Dramatic Mood Fluctuations :

Irregular mood fluctuations during puberty, menopause, pregnancy, etc. can also be an indication that the person requires counselling. Sometimes the cause can be due to hormonal imbalances, which must be confirmed with a physician. Duration, times and frequency of the mood swings must be noted down carefully so as to report the counsellor about them later on.

Substance Abuse :

People with addiction problems also require psychological counselling. In most cases, it plays an important role throughout the rehabilitation process. After doctors detect medical stabilisation, therapeutic counselling for improving mental health can be essential to overcome the addiction.

Post-Traumatic Stress :
Individuals recovering from the after-effects of traumatic events can significantly benefit from talking therapy sessions. Many people often find it difficult to manage post-traumatic stress without the help of a mental health therapist after incidents like car accidents, abuse, loss of someone dear, sexual assault, etc. Talking to a counsellor about the emotional difficulties can make it easier for them to cope up with the situation more effectively.

If you are experiencing any of the above mentioned psychological problems, you can book an appointment with the French psychologist Jade Couquaux. She is a renowned counsellor who works with individuals as well as couples in Bondi Junction.

Body Image Issues in Women

Body image may be defined as the way how a person actually feels about his or her body. Due to increased focus on looks in our society, body image issues are becoming very common particularly in women. In Australia, dissatisfaction with body has grown considerably during the last few decades and is currently considered as a major concern among teenage girls and women alike. The way a woman feels about the shape of her figure can be influenced by that which they hear and see in media and also how their family, friends and acquaintances treat them.

Feelings of discomfort with one’s shape of figure can also lead to eating disorders and severely affect self-esteem as well as relationships, self-medication, unhealthy patterns of exercise and self-harm. According to extensive research, almost half of the women among Kiwis are under the impression that they are overweight. Most of them obsess themselves over perceived imperfections, desperate ways of losing weight, spending hours grooming themselves and hating almost every part of their own frame. The discomforts can even cause a certain mental sickness known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which may cause a woman to believe objectively false things about her body.

People who do not suffer from such issues often tend to dismiss the victims. Body image is not a superficial problem. Issues with self-confidence can cause a myriad of other medical conditions, commonly eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Unfortunately, almost 10 per cent of the people struggling with such afflictions ultimately die. Depression is another associated problem.

There are several factors which can collectively cause one to develop negative feeling about one’s own shape of figure.

• Excessive exposure to media such as fashion mags, commercials, billboards, etc.
• Health problems
• History of trauma, abuse or eating disorder
• Sudden alterations in appearance, such as women gaining weight right after pregnancy
• Domestic violence
• Past mental illness
• Addiction

Counselling and therapy can significantly help in uncovering the primary causes of body image problems. In most scenarios, multiple factors can combine for destroying a woman’s self-esteem. Pessimistic thoughts about one’s figure can have disastrously unhealthy influences, but proper counselling can successfully determine those thoughts and replace them with strategies for alleviating the issues. Breaking away from the negative behaviours and thoughts is one of the main factors to achieve a healthy image. No matter what, it is essential to consult a reputed psychologist in Bondi immediately if one is experiencing such issues.

Depression During Pregnancy and Ways to Tackle it

Most of us might think that pregnancy is a time of cheerfulness, but this is not the case always, and also not for all women. Around 1 in every 10 women suffer from prolonged periods of depression when they are pregnant. You may feel like it is just a part of your normal mood fluctuations, but at times it can be more than a mere feeling of sadness. If not addressed to properly at the right time, it can turn into a serious issue.

There are several symptoms of pregnancy depression, and they vary from one person to another. Some women tend to experience low mood most of the time, while others feel sorrowful and irritable, or unworthy and may want to give up on themselves. Here are some of the commonly prevalent symptoms:

• concentration problems
• restlessness and bad temper
• insomnia
• acute and extreme fatigue
• consistent negative thoughts
• insatiable hunger or total loss of appetite
• low spirits
• helplessness and tearful

Depression during pregnancy can be the outcome of several factors, the most common being stressful events of daily life, physical problems such as morning sickness or heartburns, past experiences with childbirth complications, past infertility problems, emotional abuse or personal depression history.

Fortunately, there are certain effective and prudent solutions that you can follow if you are experiencing depression during pregnancy.

• Try to talk about your problems with your midwife. Explain your condition and how you have been feeling.
• Don’t let the sudden change in your life majorly affect your regular style of living. Give yourself adequate amount of priority. Read books, meet up with friends or go for short evening walks. 
• Try some exercise to improve your mood. Swimming, pregnancy yoga, aquanatal classes and walking are some ideal options.
• Instead of trying to withdraw from everyone, discuss your problems with your partner, friends and family. Their support can often work wonders and help you get rid of acute feelings of uselessness and undeserving.
• Support groups and group therapy are also quite beneficial and may help you to break out from the repetitive cycle of pessimistic contemplation.
• Share your experiences and feelings with others who might be going through the same problems as you. You can also learn how they are tackling their depression, and use those methods to cope with your own.

If none of the above methods seem to working out for you, then it is time for you to get some professional help. Book an appointment with the French psychologist Jade Couquaux, and get relief from your depression with her profound counselling and careful guidance.