Counseling for Depression
Many thousands of people suffer from depression. Anti-depressants are, of course, an effective way to treat the symptoms of depression. Psychotherapy (one of the things counselors do) is also an effective treatment for depression, and is directed toward resolving the cause as well as the symptoms of depression.
A number of approaches to therapy have been developed that work very well. I use a method called Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) that fits in with my overall orientation. IPT was developed by Weissman, Markowitz and Klerman (2000). In clinical trials IPT has been shown to be as effective as medication alone, and IPT can also be used in conjunction with medication. Another widely used therapy for depression is cognitive-behavioral. IPT and cognitive-behavioral have comparable results when used to treat depression.
One part of the IPT approach is to separate the “normal person” from the depression. When people become depressed, the depression itself causes a distortion in perception and “clouds” the way the depressed person responds to problems. When using IPT I try to be sure the client understands that the depression tends to keep them in a loop… they feel depressed… they don’t try things that might help them feel better… things still aren’t going well… they still feel depressed… and so on. The constant presence of a depressed mood has a direct effect on both their thoughts and behaviors, and keeps them stuck. Therapy is designed to find the problem that triggered the depression and help bring it to resolution.
Most of the time people become depressed over issues that are interpersonal. With IPT, we look into four common problem areas that involve other people:
- Grief (death of a loved one)
- Interpersonal role disputes (e.g., with spouse, children, or workers)
- Role transitions (e.g. leaving home, becoming ill, losing a job)
- Interpersonal deficits (e.g. social isolation, poor social skills)
Once we see where the problem lies, we can develop a plan for resolution.
IPT was originally designed to treat major depression. It has been adapted for other mood disorders including bipolar disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, and anxiety. New applications are under development. Given the versatility of IPT and the clinical evidence supporting IPT, I am confident that by using this approach I can help clients with a broad range of issues.
References
Weissman, Markowitz, & Klerman (2000). Comprehensive guide to Interpersonal Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.