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Clinically reviewed by Dr John Ahern
This guide was written and clinically reviewed by Dr John Ahern, founder of Insight Psychology in Newtown, Sydney. Dr Ahern is a Registered Psychologist (AHPRA) and works with adults experiencing depression, low mood, burnout, stress, anxiety and trauma, using evidence-based approaches including CBT, Behavioural Activation, ACT, Schema Therapy and EMDR.
Last reviewed: [Month Year] · Next review due: [Month Year]
What Is Depression?
Depression is a persistent low mood and loss of interest or pleasure in everyday activities, lasting most of the day, most days, for two weeks or more, and affecting the way a person thinks, feels and functions.
It is different from an ordinary low patch or a difficult week. Depression involves a change across several areas at once: mood, energy, motivation, concentration, sleep and appetite, often alongside a drop in self-worth. It can also look different from grief or an understandable reaction to a hard event, which tends to ease as circumstances change; depression tends to persist, and often deepens, without support.
Depression is one of the most common reasons people seek psychological support, and also one of the most treatable, particularly when it is addressed early rather than managed alone for months or years.
Signs of Depression
Signs of depression usually show up across mood, body, thinking and behaviour, not just as sadness.
Emotional
Persistent low mood, emptiness, hopelessness, or increased irritability.
Physical
Fatigue, disrupted sleep (too much or too little), appetite or weight changes.
Cognitive
Difficulty concentrating or deciding, self-critical or negative thinking, worthlessness or excessive guilt.
Behavioural
Withdrawing from people or activities, reduced motivation, neglecting responsibilities or self-care.
It is worth speaking with a GP or psychologist if several of these have been present most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or longer, or if they are getting in the way of work, relationships or daily life.
Stress vs Burnout
Stress is usually short-term and tied to a specific pressure that eases once the pressure lifts. Burnout is longer-term exhaustion that builds up from prolonged, unmanaged stress, most often at work.
Burnout typically involves three things: emotional and physical exhaustion, growing cynicism or detachment from work or the people around you, and a reduced sense of effectiveness or accomplishment. The World Health Organization classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon linked to chronic workplace stress, rather than as a medical diagnosis in its own right.
Stress and burnout can overlap with depression, and unaddressed burnout can develop into a depressive episode over time. They can be difficult to tell apart without a proper assessment, which is where speaking with a psychologist helps. Because stress and anxiety symptoms often overlap, it can also help to look at the two together.
Therapy for Low Mood
Therapy for low mood and depression typically draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Behavioural Activation, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), often alongside Schema Therapy where longer-standing patterns are involved.
Depression tends to create a self-reinforcing cycle: low mood leads to withdrawal and reduced activity, which removes the very things — achievement, connection, enjoyment — that would normally support mood, deepening the low mood further.
Doing less removes the very things that lift mood. Behavioural Activation helps reverse it.
Therapy works by gently rebuilding activity and engagement, identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking patterns, and, where relevant, working with longer-standing beliefs about self-worth that sit underneath the current episode. At Insight Psychology, the approach is tailored to whether this is a first episode, a recurring pattern, or connected to earlier experiences, drawing on Dr John Ahern's background across CBT, ACT, Schema Therapy and trauma-informed approaches.
Self-Criticism and Depression
A harsh, self-critical inner voice is one of the strongest factors keeping depression going — often causing more distress than whatever triggered the low mood in the first place.
Self-criticism functions like an internal threat response: it treats the self as a problem to be attacked rather than supported, which tends to increase shame and withdrawal rather than motivate change.
Fewer positive experiences means the original belief is never tested, so it strengthens.
Therapy addresses this directly: CBT helps identify and test self-critical thoughts, Schema Therapy helps understand where these patterns began — often in earlier experience — and both work toward a more balanced, self-compassionate way of relating to setbacks, without slipping into complacency.
Burnout and What Helps
Burnout does not resolve by pushing through or waiting for a holiday. It generally needs a genuine reduction in the demands causing it, alongside support to rebuild energy, boundaries and a sense of meaning.
Reduce the demands
Address workload or environment where possible, rather than relying on self-care alone to compensate for unsustainable demands.
Rebuild boundaries
Re-establish limits around time and energy, so recovery has room to happen.
Reconnect with meaning
Reconnect with what feels worthwhile — and address perfectionism or over-functioning patterns that often sit underneath.
For many people, perfectionism or over-functioning patterns sit quietly underneath burnout, and addressing these is often part of recovery, not just managing the external workload. Therapy is not a substitute for genuine change to unsustainable workloads, but it can help build sustainable coping, address the personal patterns that increase burnout risk, and support recovery where burnout has developed into depression or anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is depression the same as feeling sad?
No. Sadness is a normal, temporary response to difficult events. Depression is a persistent, ongoing change in mood, energy and functioning that lasts most of the day for two weeks or more, and does not necessarily need a specific trigger.
What's the difference between depression and burnout?
Burnout is generally tied to prolonged, unmanaged stress, most often in a work context, and centres on exhaustion, detachment and reduced effectiveness. Depression is broader and can occur without a specific external cause. The two can overlap, and unaddressed burnout can develop into depression.
Can burnout turn into depression?
Yes, ongoing burnout that isn't addressed can develop into a depressive episode over time. This is one reason it is worth seeking support for burnout early, rather than waiting for it to resolve on its own.
Does therapy help with low mood, or is medication needed?
Therapy alone is effective for many people, particularly with approaches like CBT and Behavioural Activation. For some people, a combination of therapy and medication works best. This is a conversation to have with a GP or psychiatrist alongside your psychologist.
How do I know if my self-critical thinking is a problem?
If your inner voice is consistently harsher than how you would speak to someone else in the same situation, and it is affecting your mood, motivation or self-worth, it is worth exploring in therapy rather than accepting it as just how you are.
This page is general information only and is not a substitute for personalised psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. A psychologist can assess your history, current symptoms, goals and support needs before recommending a treatment plan.
Insight Psychology is not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 000. If you need urgent mental health support in Australia, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.