Psychotherapy: Theory and Effectiveness

There are a number of effective psychotherapies that have been developed specifically to treat depression, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and short-term or focused psychodynamic psychotherapy. Clinical trials show that these approaches are as effective as antidepressant medications for patients with mild to moderate depressive symptoms. Basically, these therapies target one or more aspects of a patient's thoughts, feelings or personal interactions that bring on and sustain an episode of depression. Patients should avoid therapies that seem open-ended or that have poorly defined goals.

It involves verbal and nonverbal communication about thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviors in individual, group or family sessions in order to change unhealthy patterns of coping, relieve emotional distress and encourage personality growth and improved interpersonal relations. It is sometimes also referred as counseling or talk therapy.

People who experience depression or manic depression are often plagued by obsessive, largely irrational thoughts. Much of what you feel is caused by what you tell yourself, how you think, the ways in which you choose to interpret situations, and your personal point of view. Many people, when they're young, develop the habit of filling themselves with negative thoughts about themselves and the circumstances of their lives. In effect, people program themselves and their lives to be a particular way. Negative programing can be reinforced by one's family situations and by societal expectations.

Effectiveness of Psychotherapy

Negative thoughts can take the form of self-doubt, generalized fears, and specific phobias.

Self-Doubt:

I will never be able to get this job done
I don't look good enough for anyone to like me
I am not smart enough to figure this out

Fears:

The house will catch on fire
We will have a bad accident and all be killed
I think I have cancer
I will never be well
I will have another deep depression and land in the hospital
I will experience all the side effects of this drug

Phobias:

Bugs, snakes, cats, horses, knives, flying, darkness, stores, small enclosed places, going out alone, injections, dentists, driving on freeways, spiders, dogs, birds, gunds, heights, deep water, public bathrooms, crowds, going out, medications, doctors, driving, driving on dirt roads

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