Depression Treatment
Major Depressive Disorder, known as Depression, is a mental disorder that transcends borders and cultures, affecting almost 5% of the global adult population. It is a complex condition that extends far beyond occasional feelings of sadness. It encompasses many symptoms involving disturbances in an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that cause impairment in important areas of functioning.
Fortunately, depression is treatable. Recovery and success rates are high when individuals seek early professional help and appropriate treatment.
How is Depression Diagnosed?
Mental health professionals diagnose depression by evaluating the presentation of symptoms to determine whether or not the symptoms being manifested by the individual fit the diagnostic criteria for MDD.
Furthermore, they utilise various tools, such as clinical interviews, behavioural observations, and standardised psychological tests, to make an accurate diagnosis. When the symptoms are suspected to be caused by another medical condition, the clinician may recommend a physical exam and a laboratory test to confirm.
Symptoms of Depression
Depression is more than fleeting sadness; it involves persistent feelings of despair and emptiness that pervade day-to-day functions.
Understanding the spectrum of signs and symptoms associated with depression is crucial to identifying its presence and tailoring an effective treatment plan. If you or someone you know is suspected of experiencing depression, here are some of its common symptoms to watch out for:
- Emotional Symptoms: Individuals with depression have a persistent feeling of sadness, emptiness, or a depressed mood most of the day. Loss of interest in or pleasure in activities once enjoyed is also present. In addition, there is a feeling of hopelessness about the future and experiences of excessive guilt, worthlessness, and self-criticism, like being a burden to others. Among children, depression may manifest through irritability and agitation.
- Cognitive Symptoms: The individual may have difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things. There is also a persistent negative thought pattern about oneself, others, the world, and the future.
- Behavioural Symptoms: Withdrawing from social activities, avoiding interaction, and spending more time alone may be experienced by someone with depression. In addition, the individual may also have decreased productivity, as manifested by difficulties in completing tasks at work, school, or home. The individuals may also have thoughts about death, suicide, or suicide attempts.
- Physical Symptoms: Individuals with depression experience changes in appetite that lead to either significant weight loss or gain. They also experience difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia) or oversleeping (hypersomnia). These changes are typically accompanied by fatigue or low energy.
Types of Depression
Depression is a multifaceted condition that can take various forms. To determine the type of major depression you are manifesting, additional descriptive labels can be applied to accurately characterise the specific presentation of depression symptoms. These specifiers help the clinician refine the diagnosis and treatment. Some of them include:
Melancholic Features
Individuals who have melancholic features experience a distinct quality of depressed mood where there is profound despair, an empty mood, and a loss of pleasure or interest in activities that were previously enjoyed.
Anxious Distress
Anxious distress is diagnosed when the individual experiences feeling keyed up or tense, unusually restless, difficulty concentrating due to worries, fear that something bad may happen, or feeling that he might lose control.
Catatonic Features
As a form of depression, this specifier is applied when catatonic features such as excessive motor activity, peculiar movements, or postures are present during most of the current episodes.
Atypical Features
It is diagnosed when the individual experiences mood reactivity, significant weight gain (or increase in appetite), and interpersonal rejection sensitivity, which predominate during the majority of the days of the current depressive episodes.
Psychotic Features
Individuals with psychotic features may experience delusions (false beliefs involving guilt or worthlessness) or hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that are not real), along with depressive symptoms.
Seasonal Pattern
Seasonal depression is more than a simple winter blues. Individuals with this condition experience mood changes, usually during the fall and winter months when there is less sunlight, and typically improve with the arrival of spring.
Mixed Features
This specifier is assigned when there is a simultaneous experience of depression and manic or hypomanic symptoms (e.g., elevated mood, increase in energy, etc.) that are present during the majority of the days of the current major episodes of depression.
Treatment for Depression
Psychotherapy stands as a cornerstone in the effective treatment of depression and various mental health conditions, offering structured interventions, supportive relationships, and addressing factors contributing to and maintaining depression.
Here at Sivana Rehab, our professionals are dedicated to providing compassionate and high-quality care for depression. Our team utilises a comprehensive approach combining evidence-based and holistic therapies. This approach aims to help people with depression manage their symptoms and promote long-term wellness.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
One of the most widely recognised and effective talk therapies for treating depression is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It is an evidence-based strategy based on how our thoughts influence our feelings and behaviours.
CBT works by helping the individual identify negative or irrational thought patterns, also known as cognitive distortions, that contribute to depressive symptoms. CBT aims to challenge, modify, or replace these thoughts with more adaptive thought patterns to promote a rational way of thinking.
In addition, this therapy for depression utilises behavioural techniques to increase positive behaviours and change maladaptive coping strategies. Some include behavioural experiments, activation, activity scheduling and monitoring, and social skills training.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Another intervention that can be utilised as a treatment for depression is Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). It integrates CBT techniques with mindfulness and acceptance, offering a comprehensive approach to regulating emotions, improving relationships, and enhancing overall well-being. It is based on finding a balance between accepting oneself and the present situation while working towards change. This therapy offers a structured framework that centres around its four core modules:
Mindfulness: It teaches individuals with depression to cultivate awareness of the present moment without judgement.
Distress Tolerance: This equips them with strategies to tolerate distressing emotions without resorting to harmful behaviours.
Emotion Regulation: It may help individuals recognise and manage intense emotions that contribute to depression and teach them skills to regulate and foster a more stable mood.
Interpersonal Effectiveness: DBT enhances relationships’ navigation skillfully by teaching them effective communication skills and assertive training.
Yoga and Other Relaxation Techniques
Individuals with depression can benefit from regular practice of yoga and other relaxation techniques. Yoga involves a combination of mindfulness, meditation, and exercise, promoting physical and mental health.
Mindfulness allows individuals to stay in the present moment and be conscious of thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and sensations, while meditation helps them to clear their minds. The controlled and focused movements during yoga can further improve the body-mind connection.
Generally, yoga has an antidepressant medication effect, which promotes an alternative and natural way to increase positive hormones such as serotonin and dopamine.
Sports and Exercises
Regular exercise and engagement in sports activities have been long recognised as part of holistic interventions and treatment options for a wide range of mental health conditions. Exercise and general body movements offer many health benefits, such as protecting against heart disease, lowering blood sugar and pressure, improving sleep, and improving the overall mood.
For people who are depressed, sports and exercise are natural ways for the body to release feel-good brain chemicals such as endorphins and improve nerve cell connections, which leads to a reduction in depressive symptoms.
What Causes Depression
Understanding the multifaceted nature of depression involves recognising its causes and risk factors. It helps clinicians determine the individuals who are more vulnerable to developing depression, and it assists them in creating a personalised intervention. Although the exact cause of depression remains complex, research has identified some factors that are associated with the onset and severity of the condition.
Biological Factors: Imbalances in neurotransmitters and hormone fluctuations can contribute to mood disturbance. Those who have family members with a history of depression can likewise increase their likelihood of developing the disorder.
Psychological Factors: Certain personality traits, such as having low self-esteem, being pessimistic or perfectionistic, and a habit of maladaptive coping, such as substance use, smoking, or other unhealthy practices, can predispose an individual to depression.
Environmental Factors: Those who have experienced traumatic events (e.g., abuse, neglect) and major life adjustments such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or losing their job can trigger or exacerbate depression symptoms.
Can Depression be Prevented?
While we cannot entirely prevent depression, there are multiple ways to lessen our risk of acquiring it, such as:
Eating nutritious food and maintaining a balanced diet
Having adequate and quality sleep
Engaging in physical activities such as exercises and sports
Healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress
Creating and maintaining healthy relationships
Creating and maintaining healthy relationships
Early seeking of professional help
When Should I See a Mental Health Professional?
No one is exempt from experiencing occasional sadness and losing interest in some of our previously enjoyed activities; these are part of the normal human experience. However, when these symptoms are persistent and are disrupting important areas of functioning, we recommend that you see a professional immediately for psychological treatment.
Treat Depression at Sivana Rehab
What makes depression particularly challenging is its invisibility to those who have not experienced it firsthand. If you are struggling with depression, you have probably come across how it strips away your motivations, distorts perceptions, dismisses hopes, and prevents you from enjoying life’s simplest pleasures.
While overcoming depression may seem daunting, different treatment exists, and recovery is possible. You can proactively reclaim your wellness by seeking professional help at Sivana Rehab.