Depression is a type of mood disorder that affects the emotional state of a person. Some common symptoms of depression include sadness, lack of interest or motivation, and in extreme cases, thoughts about death or suicide. Because depression negatively affects how a person feels, they are unable to perform normal daily routines at home or work.
There are depression treatment options available that individuals should explore because it is possible to recover from depression. Unfortunately, it is common for individuals to avoid seeking treatment due to the stigma of depression.
Note that you are not alone; depression is a common mental health illness that affects more than 8.4% of US adults, and help is available. All you need to get started is to pick up the phone or start a conversation.
We will provide information below on how to find support from peers and loved ones and the benefits of treating depression with cognitive behavioral therapy.
Find Support From Peers and Loved Ones
Suffering from depression is exhausting in a mental and physical sense. Individuals feel tired and lack motivation much of the time, so help from peers and loved ones is crucial. Here is how peers and loved ones can provide support:
- Find a doctor or mental health professional and set up an appointment.
- Ensure individuals keep and attend doctor’s appointments.
- Help with research for treatment options available.
- Encourage individuals to stay active by going on a walk together or doing exercise.
- Help with small tasks, such as chores or simply keeping in touch.
You can also find support from peers during therapy sessions, such as in virtual group therapy, or in-person group therapy. When individuals talk to someone during group therapy, they receive the chance to bond and discuss their emotions, which allows them to listen to different points of view and opinions.
Group therapy not only provides support, but helps individuals realize they are not alone as others are experiencing the same symptoms of depression. This type of social support also offers the opportunity to see other individuals at different stages of treatment and see how they are doing.
There is also the option of attending therapy in a one-on-one session with a mental health professional. There are many forms of therapy, but cognitive behavioral therapy has shown fast and healthy improvement for those that participate.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy. It modifies negative thought patterns into positive ones and helps create coping strategies to help lessen depression symptoms. CBT uses a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy.
Cognitive therapy involves the moods and thoughts conjured by depression, while behavior therapy focuses on the actions or behaviors executed as a response to those moods or thoughts.
There are three basic principles of CBT, which include core beliefs, dysfunctional assumptions, and negative automatic thoughts.
- Core beliefs refer to the “self, others, and the world…generally learned early in life and are influenced by childhood experiences.” Individuals living with untreated depression may often use language, such as “I’m worthless,” “It’s so unfair,” or “Things never go my way.”
- Dysfunctional assumptions are “rigid, conditional ‘rules for living’ that people adopt.” Oftentimes, these ‘rules for living’ are so unrealistic that it leads to living an unstable life.
- Negative automatic thoughts are “involuntarily activated in certain situations.” For example, if a person loses a simple game, they may immediately think, “I’m a loser” or “I can’t do this.”
Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT treatment revolves around a problem-solving approach to change negative patterns of thinking or behavior based on the three basic principles mentioned above.
During CBT sessions, there is a collaboration between the therapist and the patient to identify troubling situations, such as any medical conditions, loss, grief, or any other occurrences that lead to depression. Individuals learn the coping strategies they need to become self-aware of their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, or experiences that lead to them.
By becoming self-aware and identifying negative thoughts and behavior patterns, individuals learn to recognize the signs and reshape their way of thinking.
There are a series of cognitive and behavioral techniques that individuals learn to use as coping strategies. As such, during CBT treatment, individuals receive “homework” to learn, practice, and integrate coping strategies.
Guided Discovery
Guided discovery is a cognitive concept used to “understand the patient’s view of things and help them expand their thinking to become aware of their underlying assumptions.” The goal of guided discovery is for patients to discover alternative views and find new solutions.
During guided discovery, therapists ask a series of questions to discover the set assumptions of an individual. Examples of questions include, “What do you think causes…?,” or “What is another way or alternative way of looking at…?” The concept behind these questions is to help individuals become self-aware by reflecting on their feelings and situations that brought them up.
As part of the “homework,” individuals are encouraged to keep a journal for self-reflection to help them identify thought patterns. For example, during journaling, individuals can include information about any moods or thoughts along with the main source that led to them, as well as the intensity and reaction. Knowing the source of the problem and the reaction response can help identify, change, adapt, and lastly, cope with those feelings.
Another technique involved is ABC (antecedent, behavior, consequences) functional analysis, which is used to learn about yourself and what sources lead an individual to certain behaviors or emotions. Individuals write down in the center of a piece of paper the potential problematic behaviors they want to analyze. On the left, they write the antecedents or factors that paved the way for the behavior. On the right side are the consequences, or what happened afterward due to the behavior.
The ABC functional analysis helps individuals living with depression learn which behaviors are helpful and which ones are destructive.
Behavior Techniques
All behaviors involve actions, and a technique used during CBT is activity scheduling. Planning each day ahead of time helps individuals manage their time better and prevent procrastination or depression symptoms, such as lack of motivation.
Individuals can keep a journal with an activity list they can use as a to-do list of tasks to engage with others and become more active. A list of tasks can include the time to wake up and eat breakfast, exercise, go to work, practice self-care, do expressing writing, and connect with peers or family. They can also rate the mood during each activity to identify when/how/why there were mood changes.
Other actionable behavior techniques include relaxation training and breathing exercises.
CBT Effectiveness and Seeking Treatment
Talking with someone helps with depression, especially during a CBT session. It has been proven that CBT is effective for many mental mood conditions, including major depression. The chances of a relapse are also minimized for individuals who had CBT treatment in the past.
Consult a mental health professional or your primary care physician for more information on how to proceed with depression treatments. At the Alvarado Parkway Institute, we provide cognitive behavioral therapy treatments for depression for those struggling with it to allow them to live happy and healthy lives.
If you are interested in learning more about our inpatient or outpatient depression treatments, or are ready to begin your treatment journey, contact Alvarado Parkway Institute today. Our trained call center staff is ready to assist you 24/7 at 619-333-7050 or complete our contact form online for more information.
Sources:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1755738012471029
