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.

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

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 these types of patients usually go through.

Although the experiences of people with a depressive disorder can change from one individual to another, these are the main characteristics that we can find in 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 main characteristics shared by all depressive disorders and one of the symptoms that most affects a person's day-to-day life.

This feeling of sadness usually has high enough levels to completely alter the person's daily life , their relationship with the environment and the attention 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.

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 problems in feeling pleasure or satisfaction in the face of anything ; In the same way, it is also common that this limitation of the range of emotions makes the person not feel very sad, but rather expresses feeling in a limbo in which nothing matters and in any case boredom and hopelessness predominate. 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 they did before the disorder: from playing sports or meeting friends to going to the movies or practicing their favorite hobby.

Both the lack of interest in the world that surrounds the person with depression and the generalized sadness mentioned above often prevent the person from being able to carry out the most basic daily activities such as getting out of bed, showering, eating, going to school or going to bed. to work.

3. Tiredness

Tiredness and loss of energy can also be associated with a case of depressive disorder, due to the feeling of emptiness that exists 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 cesspool 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 a greater capacity to make the disorder reinforce itself.

Depression decisively affects the person's perception of himself , to the point of perceiving himself 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 a decrease in attention at work , and on some occasions, also in 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 general bad mood can also indicate that we are facing a case of depressive disorder, especially if it occurs in people who previously had a totally different behavior.

Similarly, and in more severe cases of depression, excessive anger and even violent reactions triggered by frustration are also more common .

9. Tendency to isolation

Self-imposed social isolation and progressive avoidance of social activities with friends, co-workers, or family members are also signs that depression may be present.

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 increase due to the lack of stimuli and sources of motivation that predispose the person to get involved in projects. and exciting and meaningful activities.

10. Change in eating patterns

Mood disorders with psychopathological roots often affect the way in which the person relates 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 beginning to binge eat .

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 constitutes the only remedy for depression, among other things because this pathology is complex and multi-causal and presents several fronts on which it is necessary to intervene. However, practically all of the therapeutic resources used in patients with these alterations arise from the trunk of behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies, which in recent years have also given rise to what is known as Third Generation Therapies.

In this sense, the main forms of psychological intervention that have proven 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 them to progressively get involved in activities, restoring their ability to feel motivation and interest through concrete actions.
• Cognitive restructuring: one of the pillars of cognitive-behavioral therapy consists of helping the person to question their beliefs and their most dysfunctional ways of thinking and that were keeping the disorder and the wear of self-esteem in operation.
• 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, keeping both the patient and their family informed helps them gain autonomy and the ability to control what happens.
• Mindfulness: several studies indicate that the practice of Mindfulness exercises is especially effective in preventing relapses in depression.