Depression Counseling: How Understanding Leads to Healing
May 15, 2019
Psychotherapy, better known as talk therapy, can have significant positive impacts on depression sufferers. While there are other benefits to this form of treatment (such as learning vital coping skills or identifying triggers), the first step in the road to recovery is understanding. Once a patient understands what depression is, and how the disorder works, they can begin to heal.
What is Depression?
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by prolonged bouts of intense sadness that interferes with normal daily life. What depression is not is a figment of your imagination, or something "all in your head," as long-lasting stigmas lead the general public to believe.
Everyone feels sad at varying points in their life, but this does not necessarily equal a depression diagnosis. The criteria for depression includes:
- symptoms lasting two or more weeks
- an inability to perform daily tasks while symptoms occur, and
- moods must be severe
Why Understanding is Vital
Understanding is the first step on the road to recovery for several reasons. Foremost among these is granting depression sufferers a feeling of control over what is happening to them. In undiagnosed mood disorders, lack of control can cause a worsening of symptoms due to the reoccurring thought of: "What is wrong with me?"
Understanding also helps to dispel widely held stigmas about what depression is, or isn't. A simple shift in thinking can help those suffering with depression to feel better, and is a primary objective in psychotherapy - particularly in cognitive behavioral therapy.
For example, thinking a depression diagnosis equates to "crazy" has negative connotations which can pull individuals further into a counteractive thought cycle. Believing a diagnosis means a person may learn self-management techniques is a positive statement central to healing.
For more information on the healing benefits of understanding your mood disorder, or to find Fresno depression counseling services near you feel free to contact us today.