Depression

Recovering from Depression

“Severe depression is ten times more prevalent today than it was fifty years ago. It assaults women twice as often as men, and it now strikes a full decade earlier in life on average than it did a generation ago.” -Learned Optimism, Martin Seligman, Ph.D.

Depression is at epidemic levels. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 17 million adult Americans suffer from depression in any given year. An insidious illness, depression is misdiagnosed approximately 30-50% of the time. Women develop depression at twice the rates of men beginning at puberty. Approximately 70% of antidepressants are given to women.

How does depression begin?

Only a certain number of depressive conditions are strictly bio-chemically engendered while others are a combination of neurochemistry and psychological factors. Our personality, our negative explanation of events, and our history can have a profound effect on how we see the world. When frustration or failures occur, depression can begin to dominate and creates a pessimistic outlook. We explain every event through a negative lens and we fail to see the opportunities to change and improve. Performance falls and relationships suffer.

However, depression is highly treatable. Successful outcomes involve the correct diagnosis, the most effective therapies and the systematic application of resilient coping skills. Our team of depression therapists has years of experience in helping people alter their negative thinking by developing resilience and resistance to negative thinking.

Here is a small sampling of what we teach our clients:

• Defining Control: Breaking adversity down into manageable components and focusing our efforts on controllable steps to improve is key to overcoming depression. Life does not seem so overwhelming when we focus on the reasonable steps we can take to assess and remedy a situation. Setting goals, remaining calm under stress and implementing change all lead to excellence.
• Ending Catastrophic Thinking: Refusing to view every setback in global, catastrophic terms helps the mind regain perspective and problem solve effectively. You will learn how to argue against your automatic negative thinking while replacing your negative thoughts with more accurate, logic based thinking. Invaluable mental and emotional energies can then be channeled into resolving the issues and improving wellbeing.
• Calming and Soothing Skills: “About 70 percent of depressed people also have a diagnosable anxiety disorder and nearly a third have generalized anxiety disorder.” (Depression Guideline Panel, Depression, 47-48). Depression and anxiety are emotional “cousins” and they hinder success while preventing sustained focus and effort. We teach how to define the problem, pinpoint the reaction and “throttle” down to a calmer, more logical explanation.

Don’t wait any longer, call us today and shift your life into gear!