?Clinical Depression
Doctors have specific terms for medical issues and clinical depression is one of them. Medical research is always ongoing and the results of the research are published for the medical community. This is true for all medical conditions being studied. The goal is to find cause and cure by first identifying common symptoms. When you have clinical depression it simply means you fit the current definition of what medical science considers true depression.
Once you are diagnosed with clinical depression, a variety of treatment options become available. They include cognitive and behavior therapy, interpersonal therapy and medication. Some components of the therapy can be undertaken by you without a doctor. For example, you can learn to stop spiraling negative thoughts about your abilities and self-esteem. You can keep a journal or make yourself become more active. But for many people, their clinical depression must be treated by a doctor.
Doctors who treat clinical depression often combine medication with one or more of the other therapies. The goal is to keep the medication level as low as possible with eventual cessation. Cognitive therapy has proven to be quite effective as a depression treatment during controlled studies. With cognitive therapy, you learn to start loving yourself by changing your perceptions.
Interpersonal therapy involves counseling which focuses on the people or events involving other people that may have triggered your depression. It can also simply work to improve your self esteem so you have better interpersonal relationships. Behavior therapy, on the other hand, helps you change your self-defeating behavior. You learn to enjoy doing some activities again. Behavior therapy is often used with cognitive therapy to treat clinical depression.
There are several medications commonly used in the treatment of clinical depression. They include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and tricyclics. Anti-depressant medications is almost always prescribed when someone indicates they have suicidal thoughts. In other situations, it may be prescribed for a short period of time to give a person a head start on cognitive and behavior therapy.
Naturally, only medical doctors can prescribe medication for clinical depression. But there are different kinds of psychotherapists who offer the other treatment options. These include clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication and provide cognitive, behavior and group therapy. When you have mild depression, you can also utilize the services of a trained counselor.
Clinical depression is depression that fits the mold so to speak. You have all the signs and symptoms of depression as identified through medical research. All depression is treatable and there’s no reason for anyone to feel alone or helpless. There are many different options for treatment and they all work. So if you suspect you are experiencing depression, it’s important to get help right away.
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