Depression Therapy
Depression is so confusing. That’s its whole schtick, and it wears you down little by little until you feel like this image on the left, barely even existing.
Depression is also confusing because it is not something that we can go to the doctor, have examined, and be told “hmm yep you have a mild case of depression, take this and give it two weeks for symptoms to clear up.” Guys, I truly am hopeful we will get more answers on treatment in my lifetime, but for now, check out what we do know below.
Am I depressed?
Depression manifests itself in different ways, many of which are not commonly known. Although depression can at times be a deep sadness, it is more often than not a deep feeling of nothingness. When I look at the image above, I fear the emptiness of it, that is what describes depression to me. Imagine our emotions existing along a line like a heartbeat. The average person experiences ups and downs through out every day that show up on that line. The depressed person likely experiences a flat line, with very few ups or downs showing up along it, and definitely more downs than ups.
Example Depression Scenarios
My body aches so much and I feel like I am never well rested. I’ve gone to doctors and they can’t find anything wrong.
I feel so irritable, I end up snapping at the people closest to me and get seriously angry over little things.
I find myself withdrawing socially, blending into the background or isolating myself by not going out or responding back to texts.
I think about how nice it would be to not exist- I don’t want to kill myself- but I get so tired of making it through each day.
Treatment for depression
Cognitive behavioral therapy to treat depression has the most research backing it up and is found to be as effective as taking antidepressants in many cases. For these reasons, I use CBT and Self Compassion Therapy in my treatment for depression in college students and young adults here in San Marcos, Tx. We identify the thoughts you are having, how they are affecting your feelings, and then what behaviors are a result of this. Education about what IS depression is a huge part of the healing journey and provides a lot of relief along the way once we understand.
Chicken or the egg? Nature or nurture? Were you born with this predisposition or is something causing your depression? This is not a simple question and it’s one that people answer many different ways. Personally I’m in the “we can’t be sure” field. If you have a family history of mental illness, it’s possible we could trace it back to that. But sometimes I have clients come in who have had as good of a life as you can and they are still plagued with depression. To me, the source is not as important as the solution in this case.
Medication
In the case of longterm experiences of depression, I am an advocate for medication when helpful. I have found antidepressants to be enormously successful with my clients, even at a very low dose. Many people have an aversion to medication for the fear that it will make them a zombie or that they will be dependent on it forever. I describe antidepressants like I describe birth control (where my ladies at!): sometimes you have to try a few before you find the right one for you. Everyone has a different experience with medication so just because your friend had a negative experience with Lexapro/Prozac/Wellbutrin doesn’t mean you will.
What now?
With depression, having a safe place to talk about your experience can be healing in and of itself. We all long to be understood or known, and talking with a therapist about depression is a pretty good place to experience that feeling. You don’t have to keep feeling this way and a licensed counselor can help walk you through your options and help you create a plan to start taking back your life.