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Treatments for Depression
from:There are many treatments for depression and usually more than one is used at a time. The most common treatments today include the following.
• Cognitive therapy
• Group therapy
• Medication
• Behavioral therapy
• Interpersonal therapy
Most of the treatments for depression include keeping a journal as a first step and even an activity log when the depression is severe enough to prevent you from completing critical activities. A log can be an important tool for both you and/or your therapist in order to identify the triggers of depression. It can also be a good way to get your life back on track.
One of the benefits of using journals and logs in the treatments for depression is that it forces you to undertake an activity to improve your life. This can be very important when depression has interfered with your ability to think or function normally. For example, if you keep a log of what you’re feeling and of your thoughts, it becomes easier to identify the negative thinking that spirals out of control. A journal can reveal things such as feelings of failure or anxiety. With the identification of the thoughts, a therapist can then help you seek the cause of the lack of self esteem.
An activity log is a useful log during any of the treatments for depression for keeping track of what must be done in your life to keep it on track. People with depression often decide they don’t care anymore about any one or any thing. Unfortunately, this can have dire consequences if you don’t pay bills or deposit money in your bank account. Some people with depression don’t just neglect themselves either. They neglect important tasks such as picking up the kids at school. The can even decide eating is too much trouble. That’s why some people with depression can have sudden and severe weight loss.
When people get depressed, the mind focuses on dark and deep thoughts that are usually self-critical. If you tell yourself you’re unable to do anything right, the next logical thought is: why try? That is how depression works. It gets deeper and deeper if left untreated. Except for medication, the treatments for depression assist people with changing their thought patterns so they see themselves as capable and positive.
It’s hard for someone who’s never had depression to understand how deep the mental hole can get. When you keep a journal and activity log, you can learn to set simple goals that are easy to meet. The slow decline into the black hole is reversed so you can begin the upward climb to the light. It’s done one step at a time. There’s no instant cure for depression. Even medication takes time to work.
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Dr. David A. Mrazek is chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and a professor of psychiatry at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.
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