The singer Lady Gaga once stated, “Depression doesn’t take away your talents—it just makes them harder to find.” When an individual is clinically depressed, they can become blind to their own strengths. They can forget everything that makes them wonderful and unique—a positive, important presence in the world. Depression can be a destructive force that makes someone think they’ve lost their inner light, when in reality their light is just hidden under the veil of depression.
The depression counselors at Thriveworks in Sunnyvale, CA can help bring back your hope and optimism through expert treatment, including psychiatric medication management and psychotherapy. Thriveworks counseling is the first essential step toward digging yourself out of the hole of depression. Your future can be as bright as ever once you seek expert help.
How Do I Know If I Have Depression? What Are the Common Signs?
Some individuals coexist for years with their depression, functioning at very basic levels instead of thriving. Chronic depression can start seeming like business-as-usual, but it’s not. It can be caused by a neurochemical balance that a psychiatrist can diagnose and heal. Depression is highly treatable and no one deserves to suffer alone. If you become concerned that you have depression and it’s disrupting your life, you can seek the professional support you need from Thriveworks in Sunnyvale, CA. Common signs of depression include the following:
- Persistent negative feelings
- Overwhelming sadness
- Feelings of guilt or worthlessness
- Unintentional weight changes
- Sleep issues
- Changes in sex drive
- Diminished energy levels in thought and action
- Loss of interest or pleasure
Depressive episodes can last anywhere from two weeks to several years. Interventions tend to be most effective when they’re done early.
What Are the Different Types of Depression Disorders?
A psychologist or psychiatrist might diagnose you with a specific kind of depression, depending on your symptoms and their origin. For example, if you’ve just had a baby and are experiencing signs of depression for the first time in your life, a counselor may suspect postpartum depression. If you have alternating depressive episodes and periods of elevated moods or manias, you may have bipolar disorder. Here are a few types of depression disorders that a therapist may diagnose:
- Bipolar affective disorder or manic depression
- Major, moderate, and mild depression
- Postpartum depression (PPD)
- Persistent depressive disorder (PDD) or dysthymia
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Bipolar depression can also include the depression suffered by individuals with type 2 bipolar disorder. These individuals experience hypomanias instead of manias, but their depressive episodes can be just as acute.
Treatments for Anxiety Vs. Depression
Anxiety and depression are often triggers for one another. Individuals with depression can become anxious about leaving their house or seeing friends. Individuals with social anxiety may become depressed due to their isolation. So it’s not uncommon for depression therapists at Thriveworks in Sunnyvale, CA to treat their depression clients for anxiety symptoms as well.
Anxiety and depression treatments can look like the following:
Anxiety
- Pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., benzodiazepines, buspirone, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors aka SSRIs)
- Psychotherapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Substance abuse treatment
- Other cognitive therapies
- Self-care through diet and exercise
- Marriage or family therapy
- Meditation
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR)
Depression
- Pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., antidepressants like SSRIs)
- Psychotherapy
- CBT and other cognitive therapies
- Lifestyle changes
- Behavior therapy
- Couples counseling
- Family therapy
- Mindfulness techniques
- Substance abuse treatment
Men are more likely to suffer from overlapping substance abuse issues when they have depression. And one individual’s depression can affect an entire family, hence the appearance of family therapy in both treatment rosters.
How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Work?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for depression, anxiety, trauma, and other psychological issues. CBT operates from the core principle that individuals can unlearn maladaptive ways of thinking and believing. By learning to change one’s thinking patterns and information processing, a person can make significant changes in their psychology and behaviors. CBT is a collaborative therapy that you and your counselor at Thriveworks in Sunnyvale, CA can adapt together, making it a useful tool for recovering from depression and preventing future episodes.
Find Care and Support with an Exceptional Depression Counselor at Thriveworks in Sunnyvale, CA
Don’t wait to get the help you need for your depression. Call Thriveworks in Sunnyvale, CA today and we will match you with a counselor who can help you find relief from your pain and distress. Our office opens early and stays open late so you can call a human being, not listen to a voicemail. And we pride ourselves on getting you an appointment with a counselor within 24-48 hours.
In addition to those benefits, Thriveworks clients can access their mental health providers between appointments through calls and email. We also offer free educational resources like our preeminent e-book on depression. We can’t wait to match you with your exceptional depression counselor—call today.
