What Types of Therapy Are Helpful For Depression

1. WhatTypesofTherapyAreHelpfulForDepression? Depression is a potentially debilitating mental health disorder. It’s also one of the most common. The CDC states almost 5% of adults report suffering from depression each year. However, cases may be underreported. Other sources place the actual number of individuals livingwiththedisordermuchhigher. Thereisgoodnews:depressionishighlytreatable.Eachyearwecontinuetolearnmoreabout mental health disorders and effective methods for treating them. Therapy is one such depressiontreatment. Therapistsusearangeoftherapeutictechniquestohelptheirpatientsovercomedepression. CognitiveBehavioralTherapy(CBT) Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, helps an individual identify and change negative thoughtsandassociatedbehaviors. People who suffer from depression often struggle with negative thought patterns. These thought patterns can influence our behavior. In turn, behavior reinforces the thought patterns. Thiscreatesacontinualcycleofnegativethoughtsanddepressedmood. In many cases, our thought patterns are partly a result of ourcore beliefs. Therapists who use CBT help patients identify their core beliefs, address the negative thoughts that arise from them,andadjusttheirbehavioraccordingly. HowEffectiveisCBTForTreatingDepression? TherehavebeenmanystudiesthatshowCBTisaneffectivetreatmentfordepression. One study found that CBT was as effective as antidepressant medications in treating patients with depression. The same study also found that patients who completed the full course of CBT sessions were less likely to experience a relapse of their depression symptoms after treatmentthanthosewhoreceivedonlymedication.

2. Anotherrecent study found that patients treated withCBTshowed a marked improvement in theirdepressionsymptoms. However, it’s important to note that somestudies do findmixed results, and patients with the mostseveresymptomsalsotypicallyshowthemostimprovementfromtherapy. DialecticalBehaviorTherapy(DBT) Dialectical behavior therapy is very similar to CBT. In fact, many of its techniques are based on it. However, DBT differs in that it teaches patients to identify, accept, and regulate their emotions. As the name implies, DBT helps patients engage in a “dialogue” with their emotions and behaviors.Patientsaretaughttochallengethecontradictionsintheattitudesandemotionsthat arepreventingthemfrommakingpositivechangesintheirlife. In other words, an individual learns to “talk back to” negative and self-defeating thoughts. Duringthisprocess,theycanbegintoreplacethesethoughtsandbehaviorswithpositiveones. BehavioralActivation(BA) Behavioral activation shares similarities with both CBT and DBT. Like these other types of therapy,BAfocusesonapatient’sthoughtsandbehaviors. Often, behavioral activation is used in conjunction with other therapeutic techniques to treat depression. BA helps patients adopt a long-term coping strategy by identifying specific goals andworkingtowardmeetingthem. When a person is depressed, they may try to avoid certain activities like social events. Therapists use behavioral activation to build positive reinforcement and help patients create anactionplantohelpthemovercomeavoidantbehaviors.

3. The patient becomes increasingly confident and begins striving to meet realistic goals. As a result, a sense of positivity and accomplishment is reinforced. In turn, individuals begin to overcomedepressivethoughtsandbehaviors. Problem-SolvingTherapy(PST) Problem-solving therapy is a therapeutic technique that helps individuals cope with life stressorsthatnegativelyimpacttheirmentalhealth. Weallexperiencestress, butmajorlifestressors orchronicstresscantakea heavytollonour mental health. PST is designed to help people struggling with depression or anxiety identify andmanagethosestressors. In practice, PST builds off of established techniques like adaptive problem-solving and mindfulnesstohelppatientsbetterunderstandandcopewithstress.PSTalsohelpspatientsto more effectively process negative emotions that can occur when we experience difficulties, likethelossofourjoborthedeathofalovedone. InterpersonalTherapy(IPT)ForDepression Interpersonal therapy was developed to help treat depression in adults. However, it has been increasinglyusedtotreatothermentalhealthdisorders,aswell. IPT aims to help patients with mild to moderate depression address problems with interpersonal connections and improve relationships. Similar to problem-solving therapy, the focusofIPTisthepatient’sactionsandreactions. Generally, IPT is time-limited, meaning treatment may only last for around 20 sessions. The length can vary based on the patient and their needs. During this time, the therapist and patient: Identifyimportantinterpersonalrelationshipsinthepatient’slife  Addresshowtheserelationshipsaffecttheirmentalwellbeing 

4. Developskillsandstrategiestoimprovetheserelationships 