Depression takes many forms. For some people it is a heavy, persistent sadness. For others it is more like numbness — a flattening of feeling, difficulty taking pleasure in things that once mattered, or a sense of going through the motions. It may follow a life event, arrive seasonally, or take a form such as postnatal depression or seasonal affective disorder. For some people it presents primarily as anhedonia — a loss of pleasure or interest — or as exhaustion and lack of motivation rather than sadness. For some people, low mood is part of a broader pattern, including bipolar disorder. Insomnia, disturbed sleep, appetite, concentration and motivation are often affected.
You may still be managing responsibilities while feeling increasingly disconnected from yourself and others. Friends or colleagues might not see how much effort it takes to get through the day. You may have tried to push through, or been told to exercise or think more positively, and found it does not touch something deeper.
How psychoanalytic therapy approaches depression
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy does not treat depression as a problem to be fixed as quickly as possible. It is interested in what the depression might be connected to — unresolved loss, buried anger, long-standing patterns in how you relate to yourself, or experiences that were never fully processed.
This is not about blaming yourself for how you feel. It is about creating enough safety and continuity to understand what has happened and what you need — often over time, in weekly sessions.
Online therapy for depression across the UK
I work with adults across the UK who are able to engage in ongoing psychotherapy. If you are in immediate crisis or at risk of harm, please contact your GP, NHS 111 or Samaritans on 116 123. For depth work when you are stable enough to reflect, sessions are 50 minutes, weekly online.
Read more: Can psychoanalytic therapy help with depression? →
Common questions
- Yes — particularly when depression is persistent, recurrent, or has not fully lifted with shorter-term support. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is interested in what the depression may be connected to, rather than only managing symptoms. Effects often continue to develop after treatment ends.
- If you are in immediate crisis or at risk of harm, contact your GP, NHS 111 or Samaritans on 116 123. Depth psychotherapy is for when you are stable enough to reflect week to week — not a substitute for urgent care.
- Yes. Many people combine medication with psychotherapy. Medication decisions sit with your GP or psychiatrist; therapy focuses on understanding what is happening psychologically. You do not need to stop medication to begin.
- There is no fixed endpoint. Sessions are weekly and 50 minutes. For persistent or complex depression, lasting change usually takes months to years rather than a short course. We review progress as we go.