What Is Depression Therapy?

Everyone experiences depression at some level, with some people more severely than others (Marianne Willerman, Ph.D., author of The Man Who Walked Out and Other Secrets of the Depression.) Nevertheless, for most of us, depression therapy is generally what folks consider when they contemplate treatment for their depression. It’s what their doctor or psychiatrist has prescribed or suggested. For the sake of simplicity, let’s just call it “depression therapy” here.

A therapist will instruct you on the best (and most productive) ways to deal with your depression symptoms and improve your quality of life. In addition, you’ll learn coping techniques for dealing with stressful situations in your life. Generally, a psychologist specializing in psychotherapy will include a range of different treatments for different symptoms. So if you have major depressive or anxiety disorder symptoms, you’ll likely benefit from one or more types of depression therapy.

Let’s look first at depression therapy aimed at decreasing feelings of sadness. As you may already know, feelings of sadness are among the most common symptoms of depression. So your therapist will teach you how to recognize your depression symptoms-sadness, fatigue, hopelessness, anger, and so on-and how to respond to them. This is known as psychotherapy or counseling treatment.

You can also benefit from depression therapy in other ways as well. By helping your therapist understand your thoughts and feelings more fully, you can begin to better understand yourself and your relationship with other people. Mood disorders, after all, are rarely “simple” or isolated episodes. They tend to be the product of many different underlying problems. By working with your therapist, you can get a handle on your emotions and work toward rebuilding your sense of self and those around you. Finally, having a reliable therapist to talk to about your feelings can help you find strength and hope.

Now let’s consider some more specific types of depression therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven to be a very effective way to change the way you think and feel about certain issues. In particular, CBT helps you identify the things you tell yourself, such as “all my problems are really my own” or “I am the only one who can control my emotions.” Your therapist will teach you how to alter these statements to more accurate ones. Over time, you’ll learn to become less critical of yourself, which can lead to a sense of empowerment.

Another form of depression therapy that may be helpful to you is hypnotherapy. In this treatment, your therapist hypnotizes you through a process that makes you think relaxing thoughts. Eventually, your therapist can help you to identify the causes and reasons behind your depressing life situation and to work out creative solutions for healing.

If you are uncomfortable with talking about your depression with other people, you might want to consider looking into prescription depression medication. In the past, prescription medications have been fairly ineffective when it comes to treating depression. However, there are many new drugs on the market today that have been shown to be effective when it comes to treating depression. These prescription medications can range from anti-depressants to common over-the-counter drugs like Aspirin or Zoloft. Regardless of which form of depression therapy you choose, the medications should provide you with significant improvements in your symptoms and a more promising outlook for a happier life.

Depression is a serious illness, and it should not be ignored by anyone. If you are feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope with your feelings and thoughts, see if you can find a good therapist to work with. If you’re feeling anxious and you’re wondering if medication or an anxiety therapy will help you feel better, keep reading to learn more about these methods of mental health treatment.