What therapy should a psychologist use to treat depression?

Depressive disorders are among the most disabling psychopathologies and with the greatest potential to, in the most severe cases, lead to suicide or suicide attempts.

Because of this, research has been going on for decades about what are the techniques and modalities of psychotherapeutic intervention to help people who have developed depressive disorders. Let's see what they consist of.

• Related article: "Major depression: symptoms, causes and treatment"

What are the main characteristics of depressive disorders?

A key aspect to intervene psychologically in patients suffering from a depressive disorder is to understand the logics through which these psychopathologies operate, and the frequent experiences that this type of psychopath usually goes through. patients.

Although the experiences of people with a depressive disorder can change from one individual to other, these are the main characteristics that we can find in the alterations of this class.

1. general sadness

The feeling of intense and generalized sadness in all areas of a person's life is one of the characteristics main symptoms that all depressive disorders share and one of the symptoms that have the greatest affectation in the day-to-day life of person.

This feeling of sadness usually has levels high enough to completely disrupt a person's daily life, their relationship with the environment and the care of all kinds of responsibilities.

Sadness is often accompanied by an urge to cry, a feeling of emptiness or loneliness, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and very catastrophic thoughts about the future. However, especially in the most severe cases, sadness can be replaced by what we will see next.

• You may be interested: "Emotional management: 10 keys to dominate your emotions"

2. Lack of interest and affective flattening

The progressive decrease in interest of people with depression towards what life can offer them is reflected in an attitude of indifference and trouble feeling pleasure or satisfaction from anything; In the same way, it is also frequent that this limitation of the range of emotions makes the person not feel very sad, but expresses feeling in a limbo in which nothing matters and in any case boredom and hopelessness These are not symptoms as visible as sadness or sudden mood swings, so many cases of this type go unnoticed.

The person with depression will gradually begin to show less desire to do everything that he did before the disorder: from doing sports or meeting friends to going to the movies or practicing your hobby Favourite.

Both the lack of interest in the world around the person with depression and the general sadness mentioned above prevent many times that the person can perform the most basic daily activities such as getting out of bed, showering, eating, going to school or going to to work.

• Related article: "Affective flattening: symptoms, causes and treatment"

3. Fatigue

Tiredness and loss of energy can also be associated with a case of depressive disorder, due to the feeling of emptiness existing in the person and the loss of vital incentives that can motivate us.

In addition to that, people with depression tend to decrease their physical activity and also their levels of efficiency and productivity at work.

4. hopelessness

Despair and negative or unsettling thoughts are the daily bread for many people with depression who interpret their existence as a bottomless black pit in which there is no hope or expectation of ever being happy.

5. Low self-esteem

The self esteem of people with depressive disorders is one of the aspects that is most affected by this disorder, and with the greatest capacity to make the disorder self-reinforcing.

Depression decisively affects the person's perception of himself, to the point of being perceived as incapable or useless to carry out any activity successfully, or to achieve positive relationships with any person.

6. suicidal thoughts

The whole set of symptoms related to depression end up promoting very negative feelings in the person, and in the most serious cases, suicidal thoughts, especially in people who feel alone and helpless.

In many cases it happens that the person verbalizes or communicates this type of suicidal ideation and intention to someone close to them.

7. trouble concentrating

The main cognitive alterations experienced by people with depression are decreased attention at work, and on some occasions, also the ability to remember content related to short-term memory.

In addition to that, the ability to make decisions in any area of ​​life, both personal and professional, is also diminished.

8. Irritability

Irritability, sudden mood swings and a general bad mood can also indicate that we are facing a case of depressive disorder, especially if it occurs in people who previously behaved totally distinct.

In the same way and in the most serious cases of depression, excessive anger is also more common and even violent reactions triggered by frustration.

• You may be interested: "Irritability: what it is, causes, and what to do to manage it"

9. Tendency to isolation

Self-imposed social isolation and progressive avoidance of social activities with friends, co-workers or family members are also a sign that a case of depression may exist.

This happens because the depressed person reduces their social activities more and more and locks themselves in their home, thus causing their depressive symptoms to be due to the lack of stimuli and sources of motivation that predispose the person to get involved in projects and exciting activities and with meaning.

10. Change in eating patterns

Mood disturbances with psychopathological roots frequently affect the way in which person is related to food, which can, in turn, trigger the appearance of other disorders.

Some changes in eating habits that people with depressive disorders may experience range from loss of appetite to binge eating.

That is why depression is usually associated with both a drastic reduction in body weight and a sudden increase in it.

What psychotherapeutic strategies are effective in depressive disorders?

There is no single form of psychotherapy that is the only remedy for depression, among others things because this pathology is complex and multicausal and presents several fronts in which it is necessary to to intervene. Now, practically all of the therapeutic resources used in patients with these alterations arise from the trunk of therapies behavioral and cognitive-behavioral, which in recent years have also given rise to what is known as Third Party Therapies Generation.

In this sense, the main forms of psychological intervention that have been shown to be effective in helping to overcome a depressive disorder are the following:

• Behavioral activation: It is based on helping the person to internalize routines that allow him to get involved in activities progressively, restoring their ability to feel motivated and interested through actions concrete.
• Cognitive restructuring: one of the pillars of cognitive-behavioral therapy consists of helping the person to question their their most dysfunctional beliefs and ways of thinking and that were keeping the disorder and burnout going. her self-esteem.
• Anxiety management techniques: many times, depressive disorders take the form of anxious-depressive symptoms, so the person must be helped to face their irrational fears
• Social skills training: helps people gain support from friends and family, promoting assertive, clear and respectful communication.
• Psychoeducation and collaboration with the family: although it is not technically a psychotherapy strategy, maintaining informed both the patient and her family helps them gain autonomy and control over what occurs.
• Mindfulness: several studies indicate that the practice of Mindfulness exercises is especially effective in preventing relapses in depression.

Do you want to train in the treatment of depressive disorders?

If you are thinking of specializing in the field of psychotherapy for this type of psychopathology, the Postgraduate course in depressive disorders offered Mediterranean School of Psychology it is perfect for you.

This 500-hour online training program is an efficient and affordable way to learn the theoretical and practices of intervention in people suffering from disorders such as major depression, dysthymia, dysregulation disorder destructive mood and other mood disturbances with a high impact on the quality of life of the individual and their loved ones.

All this starting from a modality completely adapted from its roots to learning through the Internet, with access to the textual and audiovisual teaching material 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and technical assistance and through tutorials personalized. To find out more, contact the Mediterranean School of Psychology team.