| |
|
|
| |
Intervention for Depression
People use the term “depression” very loosely - “I am so depressed, I couldn’t get a ticket to see the Leafs play last week...”. While Leafs fans may admit to certain depressed feelings in general, when it comes to their team, feeling blue, or disappointed, or discouraged is not the same as clinical depression, which is a serious emotional disorder. Clinical depression is characterized by a number of symptoms, one of which of course is pervasive and enduring sadness. Other symptoms include; changes in appetite, loss of sexual interest, disruption of sleep patterns, memory and concentration problems, decline in self-esteem and self-confidence, inability to enjoy events or activities that one always had enjoyed in the past, and social withdrawal, even from friends and family.
While medication can often overcome the ravages of serious depression, clinical research clearly shows that psychological therapy of a cognitive-behavioural nature, in the long run, generally leads to better outcomes than medication alone, because psychological therapy is aimed not just at controlling symptoms, but at changing the underlying factors that lead to depression. Such factors may include patterns of negative thinking, faulty perceptions, and an incapacity to address social problems in an assertive manner.
|
|
|