What is Depression?

pexels-eric-torres-3603942.jpg

Depression is a complex mental health condition that affects millions, causing persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in daily life. Unlike ordinary sadness, depression can disrupt your ability to work, maintain relationships, and enjoy activities that once brought joy. Common symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep patterns, and a sense of worthlessness.

But it is a dangerous mental disorder that can lead to suicide. So be careful, because depression can kill you. 

Depression is a mental condition so it cannot be detected by a brain scan, and 10% of the population at one time in their life suffered from depression.

At Stress.SG, we offer compassionate and proven depression therapy in Singapore, designed to help you regain control and find lasting relief. With expert guidance and tailored support, overcoming depression is possible.

Overcome Depression with Compassionate Therapy

Struggling with depression? Our skilled therapists offer compassionate and proven support, helping you find hope and healing. We understand that depression can impact all areas of life, but with the right guidance, you can regain control and rediscover peace.

Recognize the Signs of Depression

Depression can be difficult to recognize, often manifesting as:

  • Constant fatigue and lack of motivation

  • Isolation from friends and loved ones

  • Feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness

  • Persistent sadness or mood swings

If you experience any of these signs, our personalized depression therapy can help you take the first step towards recovery.

Common Triggers of Depression

Many factors can contribute to depression, such as:

  1. Work stress and toxic environments

  2. Health concerns and family pressures

  3. Relationship challenges and grief

Our therapists are here to provide compassionate support for any challenges life may bring.

Tailored Treatment Plans for Lasting Relief

Our therapists specialize in creating customized treatment plans to address each individual’s unique needs. Using proven techniques, we help clients manage and overcome depression, reducing the likelihood of relapse and promoting long-term resilience.

Why Choose Our Depression Therapy?

  • Experienced, Caring Therapists: Our team is dedicated to supporting your well-being.

  • Proven, Effective Techniques: We use methods that promote lasting change and recovery.

  • Personalized Care: Each therapy plan is tailored to meet your specific needs.

17 Signs you have Depression

  1. Tired / Chronic fatigue / Burned Out

  2. Want to be alone / Avoiding socialising even with friends.

  3. Can’t focus / Memory problems / Head feeling heavy / Headaches

  4. Loss of Appetite / Not eating regularly or very little / Food has no taste

  5. Helpless / Feeling alone and empty / Sad and hopeless.

  6. Insomnia / Poor Sleep / Wake up tired

  7. Mood Swings / Irritated easily / Temperamental


  8. Breakdowns and Crying / Overwhelmed.

  9. Shame / Embarrased / Gulit

  10. Self-blame / Anger / Regret

  11. Trauma / PTSD

  12. Over-thinking / Worrying of the worst

  13. No motivation / Procrastinating

  14. Heavy heart / Pain in the chest

  15. Feel worthless / Low self-esteem

  16. Self-doubt / Low self-confidence / Feel like you are failing

  17. Negative and Suicidal Thoughts

Click Here for Teenage Depression

Saiful: Depression and Work Burnout

Life challenges can sometimes diminish our energy and motivation for work. And life can feel like a constant burnout lasting months. But there is hope. Here is Saiful sharing how he overcame months of depression and got his motivation back in just 5 sessions with Stress.SG.

Karen: Panic Attacks and Work Stress

Her panic attacks first started on a plane to Melbourne two years ago. Little did she know the panic attacks would continue for 2 another years. Triggered recently again due to events at work, the panic attacks became unbearable. This is Karen, a young working professional who overcame years of anxiety, panic attacks and sleep issues in just 5 sessions with Stress.SG.

11 Common triggers for Depression

  1. Work related stress from heavy workloads, tight deadlines, uncertainties at work

  2. Health worries

  3. Difficult boss who makes us feel scared to go to work

  4. Toxic work environment

  5. Relationship problems with our spouse or partner

  6. Burden of ageing parents or in-laws that are just plain toxic

  7. Worry about our children’s health and how they are performing in school

  8. Job insecurity as we are not doing well in our job and worry about the future

  9. Death of someone

  10. Trauma from being bullied, physically abused or molested

  11. A bad breakup with our partner and feel pain, lost, disappointment and regrets.

How to cope with Depression

In our search to stop depression, coping through distraction is the first line of defence.

  1. Social Media Constantly glued to the phone. Scanning pages somehow makes you feel more at ease.

  2. Gaming It helps you forget your troubles

  3. Netflix or YouTube Watching hours and hours to de-stress after a long day

  4. Alcohol Drinking to forget

  5. Drugs Escaping from world

  6. Over-eating Food gives you a sense of comfort

As your depression moves to the next level, you reach chronic depression and begin to realise that coping with depression doesn't work.

Depression counselling and therapy from the right counsellor can stop depression for many people. You should look for a trusted counsellor in Singapore.

Is Depression Genetic?

Could depression be genetic? Did I inherit this from my parents or does it happen for no reason? The answer is no. From our experience, clients whose parents have anxiety and depression succeeded in stopping depression and lifting their mood to healthy levels.

Depression can be crippling, especially when you have major depression, so going to see a counsellor specialising in depression rather than a doctor might give you the answer. Studies show that depression is commonly linked to sadness or grief, but it also be caused by anxiety, stress and poor sleep.

It may not surprise you that many Singapore students quietly suffer in silence afraid of the social stigma. Who knew that depression can be sparked by a change in hormones and the mood swings during adolescence can happen to teenagers. Friends might joke about depression but it is a leading cause of death for teenagers.

And who knew pregnancy can cause depression? Postnatal depression affects some women and can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby. The mother may not care about her and the baby's wellbeing. Doing pregnancy she might have have no appetite and not eat enough food. This can retard the growth of the child mentally and physically.

You don't need to feel lonely, because you are not alone. Depression is a mental illness that can be treated and with the Right therapy, and you can overcome it.

Getting Medicated

Unfortunately no medication cures depression. Most drugs aim to just reduce the negative feelings of depression and make depression more bearable. Even though you dislike feeling like a zombie while on medication, for some people with severe depression, it helps them to improve their mood so that they can seek hep through counsellig.

If you have been to a polyclinic or the IMH (Institute of Mental Health) and have seen the psychiatrist and you are on medication, it's best that you follow their instructions. Even though you are seeking alternative treatment.

Going to the depression clinic to get prescription drugs is not something many look forward to, because for many, there are side effects to depression medicine. A recent UK government study found anti-depressants are strongly linked to high rates of teenage suicides worry parents.

When seeking any depression therapy, it is important to ask the question? Does this therapy stop my depression and does is reduce the chance of it from coming back?

When considering therapy, you should consider the relapse rate of depression. Because what's the point of a remedy for depression when the recovery is not long term? The Right type of depression therapy not only lifts the depression but teaches you the skills to be resilient to future depression.

teenage depression 1.png

How to help someone with Depression

What to do when someone you know has depression? The best helpline is to spot the early signs of depression.

Early Signs of Depression. The person is withdrawn, more anti-social and introverted. Not taking care of their health and appearance. Not eating well. Sleeping a lot but always looking tired and stressed. Always overthinking. Instead of sending them to a support group, you can take them to seek help with a professional.

Depression Counselling and Therapy can help them lift their depression. But left untreated, a person become unable to work and lose their job because of high sick leave and MC rates and become unemployed.

There are many uplifting quotes for depression that you can send to your friend, but the real hope lies in taking action and help them with therapy.

50 years ago, many Singaporeans didn’t know there was a treatment for depression and there were no help hotlines. But today, with the right depression and counselling therapy, people suffering from depression can overcome them and able to work and lead normal lives.

You may have asked someone you love that they need help but they said “No.” What next?

Keep trying. When it comes to depression, there is a repeated cycle where the person will be not open to help but there will be times when they are actively searching for a solution and willing to get help.

We are desperate to find a way to help them. Sometimes, we can’t pinpoint the caused the reasons could be some form of trauma in the past. The best way to help is what you are doing right now, finding the right counselor for your loved one. And as you decide on the right counselor, start encouraging them to agree to counseling. Get them feeling confident they too can succeed by reading the latest client reviews or video testimonials. Keep encouraging them to get help. After some time, they might agree.

High Success Rates

Clients succeed every week. Anxiety and depression can be overcome with the right therapy. Make an appointment. Take the first step to finally feeling better.

Suicidal thoughts should be taken seriously

Alarm bells should ring when you notice them voicing out that life is meaningless. What is the point life? You should inform their family members and friends and everyone should encourage them to seek professional help quickly. Self-harm can lead to suicide.

Counseling vs Medication

In Singapore, the majority of depressed people were first introduced to medication by their doctors. But very quickly, you realise the medication gives you a bad headache, insomnia and anxiety. Instead of medication, Counseling is a safer first option with no health risks and it can produce better and more lasting results. If counselling works, then medication may not be required.

Public hospitals like IMH vs private practices

Due to COVID-19, cases of depression is on the rise and the waiting period to see the doctor and interval between appointments at the IMH appointments can be too long for many people feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and can’t sleep. This restless, irritable feeling can spiral deeper into depression. There is hope, there are other options with private counsellors.

A tailored program for Adults

At Stress.SG we have a program specific to the unique challenges of adults. We understand that you feel desperate to get help and you can’t take it anymore and thinking of ways to end it all. But have hope. With the right therapy and counsellor, depression can be overcome and you can feel better, sleep better and the negative thoughts can go away.

From experience, we see higher success rates when the person in need of help was the one who initially opened up to you and asked for professional help. It demonstrates that they are aware of their condition are willing to receive help. Sometimes, they may not be aware they have depression but will be open to therapy when encouraged by their spouse, partner, friends or family. The right therapy can help you pinpoint the cause of the depression and help you feel better.

Feel confident. With the right therapy and counsellor, depression can be overcome and you can feel happier, more confident, sleep better and the negative thoughts can go away.

Anxiety and Depression Counselling and Therapy