DEPRESSION

Have you ever felt like you were living with a dark rain cloud over your head? Living with little motivation? Not enjoying things that used to bring you great pleasure? At times, it makes sense to experience depression symptoms (e.g., loss of a loved one, job, relationship) and other times depression feels like it hits you out of the blue, for no apparent reason. Regardless of the reason, or lack of reason, for depression, it is hard to manage alone. When experiencing depression, asking for help can feel impossible. You might have thoughts similar to, ‘I am not worthy of help’ or ‘I don’t deserve help.’ Depressive thinking, paired with fatigue and low motivation, keeps many clients from taking the first step toward getting help, finding relief and eventual recovery.

According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America:

- - 322 million people worldwide live with depression.

- - In 2014, around 15.7 million adults age 18 or older, or 6.7% of the adult population, in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year.
  - The most commonly diagnosed form of depression is Major Depressive Disorder.
  - In 2015, around 16.1 million adults aged 18 years or older, or 6.7% of the adult population, in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year.

Depression can be experienced in the body and mind very differently from person to person. However, here are a few common symptoms of depression: sad or “empty” mood, hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, fatigue, feeling “slowed down,” difficulty concentrating or making decisions, change in sleep patterns and appetite, irritability, and thoughts of death or suicide.

TREATMENT

When treating depression, we first must know how you experience it physically and cognitively, and then what you do (behaviorally). In treating depression (biological, cognitive, and behavioral), I primarily utilize CBT, DBT, RO-DBT, ACT and mindfulness strategies; however, the treatment is dependent on you and your personal experience. You will learn many practical coping skills (e.g., DBT’s Distress Tolerance and Emotion Regulation skills) to aid in regulating your emotion. One of my favorite coping skills to teach individuals with significant depression is DBT’s Build Mastery skill. Please see below for more information.

BUILD MASTERY

Depression often leaves you with little motivation, making it difficult to do your normal activities of daily living. Building mastery is a skill to help get you up and moving (behavioral activation) and increase your feeling of accomplishment, both of which feel good and increase the likelihood that you will do them more.

Additionally, we will utilize cognitive behavioral strategies to identify and treat the automatic thoughts that often trigger shame, guilt, and feelings of being worthless, helpless, and hopeless–which exacerbate depression symptoms. Depression is uncomfortable, scary, and sometimes painful (both physically and emotionally). There is hope, and I am here to help.

MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER SCREENING TOOL

If you believe you may have anxiety, click below to complete the PHQ-9 screening tool. Answer all the questions, print out the results, and share them with me or your mental health professional.

DEPRESSION RESOURCES LIST

I have compiled a list of resources. I invite you to take some time to explore. I have included a variety of sources from DBT, ACT, and CBT experts, as well as those with their own experience with depression. As a reminder, this is a list of resources meant to supplement your professional treatment. This list is not a substitute for a medical doctor or therapist.