Depression is far more common than most people realize and many people who are depressed don’t even know it. That’s because many people mistakenly believe that depression is only characterized by symptoms such as overwhelming sadness, an inability to function, and chronic suicidality. However, while those are certainly indicators of depression, those symptoms only occur in extreme cases.
The truth is that depression occurs along a spectrum with a great number of people experiencing the more common symptoms of depression such as: low energy, difficulty getting motivated, sleep problems, chronic stress, hopelessness, feelings of low self worth and/or an overall feeling of unhappiness. These symptoms, though “lower level” are in many ways just as devastating because of the way they tend to slowly and steadily erode self-esteem, relationships, work productivity, and overall quality of life. Therapy is usually very effective at addressing these symptoms. Many people experience an improved mood, increased motivation and enhanced quality of life in a relatively short period of time after attending therapy.
We believe that depressive symptoms like this are best treated through a solution-oriented, cognitive process that helps our clients identify what causes their symptoms, understand what impact they have on their life, learn how to anticipate and overcome them, and build skills for ensuring that these symptoms never return.
Typically, this can be done without medication, although medication can also be very helpful for those who choose that path. It is our belief (and experience) that even the most chronic feelings of depression can be alleviated through gaining insight into one’s blind spots, unhealthy interpersonal patterns, and poor coping mechanisms. Once our clients identify these behaviors and develop healthier ways of dealing with the many hurdles in life, most of their symptoms diminish.
Many of our clients find that they begin to feel better after only a few sessions. This is because we believe it is best to quickly focus on making change. Our goal is to help people feel functional and healthy in the present. Thus, while we at times delve into one’s past, we feel far more emphasis should be placed on building happy, meaningful lives for the future than digging around in unpleasant memories from the past. Our clients find that once they feel better about their day-to-day life, they feel much more confident in “fixing” unresolved issues from their past.
