Depression Therapy

Depression or Major Depression affects many people worldwide. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 18.8 million adult Americans suffer from depression during any one-year period. Many people do not even recognize that they have depression, or they don’t realize that it can be treated very effectively. Depression is a medical diagnosis that affects both the brain and body; it affects your emotions and how you think and behave. Depression is more than just feeling a little down, it is a chronic illness that usually requires long-term treatment. When feelings of extreme sadness or hopelessness last for two weeks or more and begin to interfere with normal living, you may be a suffering from a depressive disorder.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression:

• A persistent feeling of sadness, anxiousness or emptiness that you just can’t shake.
• Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. A belief that nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing you can do.
• Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt or being overly self-critical.
• Low tolerance for daily frustrations; generally irritable, restless or agitated.
• A general loss in the ability to feel pleasure or joy; no longer interested in former hobbies, pastimes, social activities or sex.
• Feeling physically drained or an overall sense of sluggishness. Your whole body may feel heavy, and completing a small task seems exhausting.
• Difficulty remembering details, making decisions or focusing on a single activity or topic.
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness or oversleeping (also known as hypersomnia).
• Overeating or loss of appetite resulting in significant weight gain or loss.
• Thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts.
• Persistent, unexplained aches and pains such as headaches, muscles aches, cramps or digestive problems.

So what causes depression? Depression is happens when changes in the brains chemistry directly affect mood and thought processes. There are also biological and social factors that can contribute to some cases of depression. In addition, chronic and serious illnesses such as heart disease or cancer may be accompanied by depression. For many individuals, however, depression signals first and foremost that certain mental and emotional aspects of life are out of balance.

Major life changes and life stressors such as the death of a family member or the loss of a job can help bring about depression. Other more subtle factors that lead to a loss of self-esteem or ego may also contribute. The causes of depression are not always obvious, so the disorder takes careful evaluation and diagnosis by a trained mental health care professional. At Matthew Bruhin & Associates we are highly trained to make these assessments and treat accordingly.

Major depression is highly treatable when a person receives good mental health treatment. We have several types of licensed and trained providers with years of experience studying depression and helping patients recover from it. Our depression therapy or psychotherapy is the most helpful and successful way of treating depression. We have treated many clients successfully and aided in their recovery.

There are several approaches to our depression counseling or therapy. They include cognitive-behavioral (CBT), interpersonal, psycho-dynamic and other kinds of “talk therapy.” These are evidence based models that help depressed individuals recover. In San Diego depression therapy, we offer people the opportunity to identify the factors that contribute to their depression and to deal effectively with the psychological, behavioral, interpersonal and situational causes that lead to depression. Our therapists work with clients by doing some of the following:

• Help people regain a sense of control and pleasure in life. Psychotherapy helps people see choices as well as gradually incorporate enjoyable, fulfilling activities back into their lives.
• Examine problems that contribute to a client’s depression, and help them understand which aspects of those problems they may be able to solve or improve. Our depression therapists can help depressed patients identify options for the future and set realistic goals that enable these individuals to enhance their mental and emotional well-being. Our depression therapists also help individuals identify how they have successfully dealt with similar feelings, if they have been depressed in the past.
• Identify negative or distorted thinking patterns that contribute to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness that accompany depression. For example, depressed individuals may tend to overgeneralize, that is, to think of circumstances in terms of “always” or “never.” They may also take events personally. We can help nurture a more positive outlook on life.
• Explore other learned thoughts and behaviors that create problems and contribute to depression. For example, we can help depressed individuals understand and improve ways of interacting with other people that contribute to their depression.

One major component of our San Diego depression therapy that differs from others is, our ability to create rapport. Our staff has all been selected for their amazing ability to connect, care and be effective in dealing with others. We aren’t boring, clinical fuddy duddys that will make you feel worse and bore you with psycho-babble. We are humorous, knowledgeable, and motivating clinicians, and are sole goal is to help you feel better and improve your life!

So, if you are struggling with feeling down. If you think you might have depression, or if you have been formally diagnosed, we can help. Please call us at (619) 493-0510 and have a free phone consultation to see how we can help you with our San Diego depression therapy.