Psychotherapy as a Way of Treating Depression - Essay Example

Depression Depression is one of the clinically distinctive depressive disorders. As a medically defined disorder, its criterion is identified in the Statistical and Diagnostic Manual of Psychiatric Disorders, 4th edition (SDM-IV). The manual has specific feedback forms and diagnostic interview skills available for doctors, therapists and other mental health experts to employ in an attempt to identify clinical psychological depression. The World Book Encyclopedia describes depression as, a mental disorder in which the patient suffers long episodes of sadness and many other negative feelings. These feelings may be directed towards people or things they once enjoyed or liked. Now the real question comes up; how can depression be treated? Currently, many experts question how precisely can depression be treated, and they have come up with many different ideologies and theories. The most commonly used kinds of treatment of depression are psychotherapy, administration of anti-depressants and hospitalization. Depression comes in many forms and shapes hence implying different modes of treatment according to the shape and form of the disorder. The different types of depressions have distinctive symptoms, causes, and effects. Being aware of what type of depression is affecting a patient can help to manage these symptoms and get the most effectual treatment. Moods or emotions of the patient change with the environment and experience, sometimes reflecting happiness and in other times reflecting sadness. In emotionally healthy people, moods are controllable, but people with mental depression get controlled by the mood itself in both thoughts and body. Mental depression involves mood disarray characterized by specific symptoms that characteristically occur due to chemical variations in normal brain operation. The most common and enthusiastically identifiable symptom of a depressed individual is sadness, melancholy, or desolation; however, an individual with clinical depression encounter more than transitory sadness. Oftentimes it is logic of exhaustion or short of any energy at all that indicates the inception of mental depression (Roy 3). Other common symptoms comprise persisting sadness, emptiness or anxiety that may be convoyed by thoughts of victimization, hopelessness, worthlessness and/or helplessness. The person might lose concern in activities that were once traditional or complain of insufficient energy or inability to focus. Physical symptoms that do not resolve despite treatment, feelings and ideations of death or suicide, and/or acute sleepiness or insomnia might be other indicators of depression (Gilbert 7). Some psychosocial causes to depression can be environments, life events and interpersonal relations. Long-lasting stress or extremely stressful events can bring a depressive episode. Psychological disease patterns existing in families (familial psychopathology) affects an individuals aptitude to respond to stressful issues and recover from, or change to, stressful events. Genetic factors and personality types are also causative factors. Depression and anxiety are frequently a coexisting diagnosis. The National Co morbidity Survey (U.S.) saw that 58% of Americans diagnosed with severe depression also suffer from anxiety disorders (Claudia J. Strauss 49). All this symptoms matter a lot when choosing the best treatment for depression. Here are some models of treating and healing patients suffering from depression (Oddenino 18). One way of treating depression is psychotherapy. Many experts argue that psychotherapy is the best means of treatment to depression. Psychotherapy is often the initial form of treatment recommended. In psychotherapy, an individual diagnosed with depressive disorder consults a licensed and trained psychologist or mental health professionals that helps him or her to identify and work through different aspects that might be triggering their depression. Meanwhile, in his article ‘fall into Helplessness’, Martin E. P. Seligman argued that the only treatment for depression is healing of belief that responding produces enforcement, ruling out psychotherapy. If doctors know what the causes of depression are, they have a better indulgent on how to assist the patient (Roy 24). According to the Cleveland Clinic Health organization, some examples of aspects that can cause depressions are grief from the loss of loved ones, disputes within families, friends, or co-workers, probably moving to a new city, changing jobs, substance abuse and graduating from high school or college. People who actively join the therapy recover more quickly and have less relapses than those who decide not to seek psychological help. People tend to believe that the therapy is a ‘quick fix’ to a problem formed over a stretched period of time. They consequently become frustrated and sometimes even more depressed when therapy does not heal them immediately. Psychotherapy remains to be a crucial tool to treat depression disorders, but the person should understand that it is not really a quick fix and sometimes it can be an awfully long commitment. The second type for depression treatment is putting the patients under antidepressant drugs. Antidepressants are medicines used to assist people who have depression and anxiety problems. People who take antidepressants typically get better after only taking the drugs for a short period of time. A group of American Academy of Family Physicians states, that most antidepressants are believed to function by slowing the secretion of certain chemicals in the brain. They are referred to as neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are required for normal brain functioning. They help people with depression by having these natural chemicals more obtainable to the brain. Antidepressant drugs often cause side effects. In his article of What Good is Feeling Bad, Nesse M. Randolph. states that Prozac, a kind of antidepressant, is the most prescribed antidepressant, since it does not lead to dependency and its side effects are, in most cases, few and mild to patients. As seen, not all patients get side effects. Some instances of common side effects someone can encounter may be nausea, trouble sleeping, temporary irritability and weight loss or gain (Roy 46). Some of these drugs are so much addictive in a way that a patient under their prescription cannot do without them. Depressions are a matter of ability to continue with normal life under certain stress. Hence the cure and treatment of depression should focus on strengthening the patient’s endurance to depression and not making his or her brain relax. This is because after the medical dose is over the depression may reoccur again. This makes medical therapy on depression seem not reliable and effective. Though depression has been mostly considered as clinical issue, it requires more than just medical therapy. Since it is a psychological disorder, many specialists think it should be solved psychologically for better results. Many researchers have proved that medical treatment is only temporally and could not last since it is just introduction of medical prescription without resolving the main cause which is a psychological problem (OConnor 33). Therapists think that they should concentrate on the causes of depressions, and how it is affecting the patient’s way of thinking, normal activities and how to make him or her to be out of vulnerability of falling into the same again. This is not to imply that medical remedy is needless or void, but it is not as effective as psychological remedy or combination of both. Follow up checkups should be stressed to make sure that the patient does not slide back to depression. After a psychological review and treatment and counseling, the patient should, if need be, then introduced to drugs which should be regulated such that they apparently do not become addictive to the patient’s body (Oddenino 45). Most medications that heal depression must be taken on a regular basis over time to attain a therapeutic effect, and most of them should not be stopped suddenly because the body might have a negative response. Some individuals may need a combination of medications so as to achieve the desired result. Those people diagnosed with chronic severe depression, or bipolar diseases are supposed to be aware that the need for prescription may continue for an indefinite period. Some patients may be introduced and maintained on anticonvulsant therapy, which is effective in treating mood disarrays (John H. Greist 29). Another kind of treatment is hospitalization. A patient is hospitalized under close supervision particularly when he or she has shown suicidal thoughts or is a possible danger towards other people around him/her. According to The World Book Encyclopedia, hospitalization is an indispensable treatment for depressed individual who are suicidal. Though the very idea of visiting a psychiatric hospital is indignation to most people, there are circumstances when people who are severely or anxious or depressed should consider visiting a psychiatric ward for a period of time. Majority of people tends to feel embarrassment or feel as if they have been failures in life. If there is a call for going to the hospital, one should keep in mind it is only a momentary situation that is intended for safety precautions. If the caretakers are not experts, should be taught to understand and appreciate these patients by being particularly careful not to worsen their situations since it plays a majorly significant role in molding the patients. Arousing their temper or being a bother to them is like making a diabetes patient take a cup of tea with seven teaspoons of sugar (Roy 66). Family members are the fundamental therapists of people under depression. In conclusion, as you see, the most commonly used kinds of treatment of depression are psychotherapy, administration of anti-depressants and hospitalization. You can consult to several trained medical doctors, psychotherapists, psychologists, and seek their opinion on the best way to treat your depression, and you will perhaps receive many different solutions. What may work for a certain patient may not always work for another patient. The best way seems to be the combination of different approaches. For instance, start out with one approach and see if the patient improves, as in psychotherapy. If slight improvement is noticed, then that could be the best treatment that is relevant; if there is minimal progress, maybe psychotherapy along with medication is the way to go. If the person is dangerous to him or herself and or others, Of course, hospitalization is the only choice to consider. As you see, treating a person under depression is not a simple task; it is not just popping a pill and the whole lot is good. It takes commitment and hard work from the person under depression and the mental health care provider treating him or her (Roy 69). Among 18 years and older Americans, in any given year almost 21 million (9.5 percent) have a diagnosed mood disarray, with the daily activities of about 15 million of them impacted. A major depressive disorder comprises a prime cause to disability for persons from the ages of 15 to 44. More than six million men and twelve million women experience depression, but men are four times more likely to commend suicide as a result of depression. This means that something must be done very soon. Children who are diagnosed with depression ought to be treated by therapists or psychiatrists who specialize in the cure of children (Gilbert 11). Despite the fact that the majority of people suffering from depression do not inquire medical help, depression remains to be a treatable disease. Depression should not been seen as an indication of emotional flaw or a situation that can be resolved away. Without treatment, depression can become a chronic disease affecting all aspects of the individuals normal activities. Families can support the patient of depression by assisting him, or her to get the correct help, diagnosis, and cure for the disease; looking for additional family support and getting used on how to provide enduring, consistent emotional support. Any talk relating to suicide should never at any time be ignored or taken for granted. Engaging the person in chats and recreational activities will assist to demonstrate emotional support and affection (Claudia J. Strauss 14). Works Cited Aaron T. Beck, Brad A. Alford. Depression: Causes and Treatment. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008. Print. Claudia J. Strauss, Martha Manning. Talking to Depression: Simple Ways to Connect When Someone in Your Life Is Depressed. New York: New American Library, 2004. Print. Gilbert, Paul. Depression: Evolution of Powerlessness. New York: Psychology Press, 1992. Print. John H. Greist, James W. Jefferson. Depression and Its Treatment. New york: American Psychiatric Pub, 1992. Print. Keen, Ernest. Depression: Self-Consciousness, Pretending, and Guilt. California: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002. Print. OConnor, Richard. Undoing depression: what therapy do not teach you and medication can not give you. Berkeley Books, 1999. Print. Oddenino, Kathy. Depression: Our Normal Transitional Emotions. Ohio: Joy Publications, 1995. Print. Roy, Jennifer Rozines. Depression. London: Marshall Cavendish, 2005. Print. Read More