About UWr psychological counseling centre on the National Day Against Depression
“Students or doctoral students often ask us: “Does my case qualify to be discussed with a psychologist?” To any such question I immediately and without hesitation answer – any is suitable. That’s what we’re here for.” We talk about depression on the National Day Against Depression with dr Alina Czapiga, who heads the free psychological counseling centre for students and doctoral students at the University of Wrocław, located in the former school building at ul. Kuźnicza in Wrocław.
– Doctor, is depression a widespread problem? How much?
-This is a very common problem. Statistics show that several percent of the world’s population suffers from depression, and several percent will experience a severe depressive crisis at least once, will experience a depressive episode. The problem is widespread and and has been growing a lot in recent years. I also observe with trepidation that the age of people with symptoms suggestive of depressive states is decreasing. We even observe symptoms of depression in children. Fortunately, today we have many widely available publications and statements by specialists on the subject of depression, and I think this is a very good thing; thanks to this, public sensitivity to symptoms that may suggest depression has increased significantly. More and more people are seeing specialists, and more and more people are aware that depression can be life-threatening.
– What are the symptoms of depression?
– First of all, it is a lowering of mood. But the so-called permanent lowering of mood, a profound lowering of mood. Such a lowering of mood, which causes a state of great discomfort and disrupts the functioning of a person suffering from depression. Patients very often say “I can no longer cope with experiencing this condition”, “I can no longer bear this deep sadness and sorrow”. Not all sadness, of course, is or can indicate depression. Sadness is a natural human emotion that appears in difficult or unpleasant situations. But in the case of depression, we are talking about a sadness that is very deep and one that not only hinders, but sometimes prevents a person from performing roles and tasks such as those that are characteristic of him or her because of his or her age, education, profession, and so on.
An extremely important symptom of depression is a decrease in energy for action, lack of interest or loss of interests, loss of passions that were up to this point. Symptoms of depression can also include low self-esteem, lowered self-esteem, lack of self-respect, and feelings of guilt. Of course, these symptoms of depression are joined by conditions such as sleep disorders, which take different courses, as sometimes it is insomnia or multiple awakenings during the night or excessive sleepiness. Depression may be accompanied by an appetite disorder, very characteristic. And please also note that these symptoms sometimes seem to be opposite In some, for example, we notice high irritability, explosiveness, conflict tendencies, in others, in turn, passivity and withdrawal, depreciation of social relations and not entering into social relationships.
Of course, despite the fact that knowledge of depression is widespread and heavily popularized today, it happens that people with conditions similar to depressive conditions come to psychologists, but it turns out that depression is not. Instead, I want to emphasize that it is very good that people do not underestimate the symptoms. It is always best to consult a specialist, who will assess whether the patient requires the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist.
– What are the causes of depression?
– The first group is biological causes, and there are a number of them. For example, genetic conditions, hormonal disorders, especially those of cortisol, but also disorders of neurotransmitters, those substances that enable communication between cells. But among these biological causes, it may still be worth mentioning such causes, which could be described as organic, structural, involving brain structures. Often patients report memory problems or problems with focusing attention, assimilating knowledge or organizing information. That is, they report cognitive problems. These would seem to be unrelated to depression, and yet they are. This is demonstrated by imaging studies, which show changes in various parts of the brain, in structures responsible for information processing and memory. There is another very important biological condition, confirmed by numerous scientific studies, and that is that it turns out that the cause of depression can be inflammation in the body located in the gut. Such a prolonged inflammatory process, especially in the digestive system, creates fertile ground for the development of mental problems. We used to not know that. Of course, if one of the causes of the patient’s depression is inflammation in the body, then in parallel with meetings with the psychologist, the patient is also guided by a medical doctor of the appropriate specialty.
The second group of causes causing depression are environmental, social causes. And this is where past experiences matter – what did the person experience, what was recorded in their mind, what experiences? Did he/she receive help when he/she was in difficult or even traumatic situations? Did he/she know how to use this help, did he/she work through her experiences? Whether he/she can handle stress, what type of personality he/she has, whether it is a personality prone to developing depression, etc.
Depression is a very serious disease or a very serious disorder. A little bit this word has made its way into colloquial language and is rather nonchalantly misused. Not all sadness is depression, but prolonged sadness is an indication to consult a psychologist. If the state of lowered mood persists for some time, one should react.
– How does the University of Wroclaw help students and doctoral students? Is it possible to get help from a psychologist at our university?
– There is a psychological counseling centre at the University of Wrocław, where completely free of charge students and doctoral students, including foreign students, can receive help from psychologists. The counseling center employs three specialists, provides advice in Polish, Russian and English, and is also on duty in the afternoon. How to report to the counseling centre? Just write an email from your university email to poradnia.psychologiczna@uwr.edu.pl. We schedule appointments very quickly and no one is left without help. We accept in all cases, that is, absolutely clinical, but also non-clinical. We receive people who are experiencing a crisis or any difficulty at all. But not only that. We also welcome such people who would like to develop themselves, who would like to work on themselves. I must admit that sometimes the state, students or doctoral students write to us very kindly, “Does my case qualify to be discussed with a psychologist?”. To any such question I immediately and without hesitation answer – any is suitable. That’s what we’re here for.
Agata Mitek interviewed.
