Depression Treatment in Kokomo, Indiana

Clinical depression is a mental health condition that causes feelings of sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness. Also known as major depressive disorder, the condition often makes people lose interest in activities they used to enjoy. If you think you might have depression, continue reading or contact us to learn more about our Indiana mental health treatment programs. At First City Recovery Center, we offer various levels of care for people dealing with mental health issues. Our mental health residential stabilization program is an excellent option for individuals looking for residential care.

What Are the Main Symptoms of Clinical Depression?

The symptoms of depression can vary from person to person. Individuals who are depressed might display some of the following symptoms:

• Feeling sad, empty or hopeless
• Frustration and irritability
• Insomnia or excessive sleeping
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Anxiety
• Difficulties with concentration and memory
• Feelings of guilt about the past
• Suicidal thoughts or actions
• Back pain
• Headaches

In order to be diagnosed with clinical depression, a person must have symptoms for at least two weeks. Many people with this condition experience several bouts of depression throughout their lives. During a depressive episode, symptoms are present for most of the day, and they occur daily or almost every day.

Some people with clinical depression have general feelings of being unhappy or miserable, but they might not be able to explain why they feel that way. In many cases, the symptoms of clinical depression are noticeable to others, and they can cause patients to have problems at home, work, and school. The person’s relationships may deteriorate, and he or she might withdraw from social activities.

What Are the Risk Factors for Clinical Depression?

Clinical depression can begin at any age, and it often starts in an individual’s teens, 20s or 30s. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with this condition, and substance use increases the risk of developing clinical depression. Other risk factors for clinical depression include:

• A family history of depression or bipolar disorder
• Physical or sexual abuse
• The death of a loved one
• Drug or alcohol use
• A personal history of anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or PTSD
• Trauma or stress
• Chronic illness

If left untreated, depression could lead to issues that impact every area of a patient’s life. For example, patients may turn to self-harming behaviors, and they could experience social isolation or social phobia. Without treatment, some people with clinical depression could be at risk of premature death.

How Is Clinical Depression Diagnosed?

Medical doctors and mental health professionals can diagnose clinical depression. These professionals include family doctors, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. If you choose to see a doctor or a psychiatrist, the diagnostic process may include a physical exam. Since depression can be caused by certain medicines or medical conditions, the physical exam helps your clinician rule out medication issues and physical conditions that may be triggering your symptoms.

During your visit, be sure to tell your healthcare provider about any medications you are taking, and make sure that your provider knows about all of your medical conditions. Sleeping pills and blood pressure medicines could cause clinical depression, and it can also be triggered by cancer, heart disease, and chronic pain.

After completing the physical exam, your doctor or psychiatrist will do a mental health evaluation. This step is also used by mental health professionals.

During the mental health evaluation, your provider will ask about your feelings, thoughts, behaviors, mood, and symptoms. You may complete a screening questionnaire to help with the diagnosis.

How Is Clinical Depression Treated?

Depending on the severity of a person’s symptoms, treatment may include a combination of medication and counseling. People with severe symptoms might need multiple medications and several different types of counseling.

If medications are recommended, physicians may choose to prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) or other types of antidepressants. Some patients need to use mood stabilizers and anti-anxiety medicines with their antidepressants.

All patients with clinical depression will need counseling, and this is true for those who are taking antidepressants and for those who aren’t taking medication. Counseling allows patients to explore their feelings and behaviors, and it helps them gain a sense of control over their lives. Patients learn how to change behaviors that may make their depression worse, and they are taught how to set realistic goals and how to cope with stressful events. At First City, our mental health partial hospitalization program helps many get on the right path for dealing with clinical depression.

Could Counseling at First City Recovery Center Help Me Recover From Clinical Depression?

If you’re located in the Indiana area and have received a diagnosis of clinical depression, you may be interested in depression counseling in Kokomo, Indiana. Our compassionate doctors and therapists have extensive experience in treating clinical depression.

We offer inpatient and outpatient treatment, and we provide several types of counseling. If you’re taking antidepressants or other medicines, we can help you manage your medications. We personalize all of our counseling for your specific needs, and we have group therapy and individual therapy options.

What Types of Counseling Are Available at First City?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy are the two main therapy types that we use for clinical depression treatment at First City. In addition to individual sessions, clients are encouraged to attend group therapy sessions so that they can build a strong support system.

How Does Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Treat Clinical Depression?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps clients with clinical depression learn to recognize the negative thought and behavior patterns that may be contributing to their symptoms. Once these patterns have been identified, clients learn to replace them with healthier thoughts and behaviors that could reduce their depressive symptoms.

Cognitive Techniques

Usually, cognitive-behavioral therapists begin by helping their clients understand how cognitive distortions could be influencing specific thought patterns. For example, the therapist may guide a client to understand the cognitive distortion of mind reading. This occurs when a person believes he or she knows what others are thinking, and it is very common among patients with clinical depression.

As an example of mind reading, if a client is late to a meeting, he or she might believe that all of the other participants are thinking about his or her tardiness. The therapist would counter this by presenting a more realistic and rational perspective, and the client would gradually learn to create healthier self-talk patterns.

Behavioral Modification

When clients with clinical depression learn to change some of their behaviors, they often notice that they have more motivation and higher energy levels. Activity scheduling, thought journaling, and the ABC analysis method are all helpful techniques for modifying behaviors.

Activity scheduling rewards clients for completing small tasks. For example, if clients with clinical depression are having trouble washing the dishes, they would start by washing one or two dishes. If they complete this small task successfully, they would give themselves a treat. This technique helps clients experience positive regard, and it increases the likelihood that they’ll continue completing tasks in the future.

With experiential therapy exercises like thought journaling, individuals write about their experiences, emotions, thoughts and behaviors. They use their journals as safe spaces to explore the reasons behind their feelings. Journaling can help clients recognize triggers for their thoughts or behaviors, and they may be able to understand how their thoughts influenced their behaviors. These insights may lead to greater self-awareness, and they could help with the development of positive coping mechanisms.

The ABC analysis method gives clients the tools they need to analyze their triggers and the consequences of their behaviors. It is an effective treatment technique for a wide variety of behaviors, including irritability and excessive sleeping.

In part A (“Activating”), clients identify the trigger that produced a particular feeling or behavior. For part B (“Beliefs”), they notice their beliefs about the trigger. In part C (“Consequences”), they explore the consequences of the trigger, including the behaviors it produced. Over time, this method helps the client find the causes of his or her triggers.

How Does Interpersonal Therapy Treat Clinical Depression?

Interpersonal therapy helps clients improve their relationships with others. When clients have healthy relationships with the people in their lives, they may experience fewer symptoms of depression.

Interpersonal therapy teaches clients how to communicate with others more effectively, and it allows clients to address relationship problems that may be contributing to their depressive symptoms.

During the first treatment session, the therapist conducts an interview with the client. Using the information from the interview, the therapist identifies difficulties in the client’s relationships.

Over many sessions, the therapist helps the client understand how events in his or her life may have led to depression. The client may talk about moves, job losses, marriage, the end of a relationship or other major life events. After these events are understood, the therapist provides practical strategies that the client can use to interact with others more effectively.

For example, therapists may recommend that clients try to engage in social activities that have been stressful in the past. Similarly, clients might be advised to have conversations that they may have been avoiding. In all cases, interpersonal therapy is intended to allow clients to have their emotional needs met. Clients learn to find positive ways to handle difficult emotions and situations.

How Does Group Therapy Improve Treatment?

Group therapy is an integral part of First City’s depression counseling in Kokomo, Indiana. This form of therapy can be a valuable support system for individuals with clinical depression. Isolation and withdrawal are common symptoms of depression, and group therapy helps clients meet others who are going through similar experiences. It provides a safe space for people to share their feelings and experiences, and clients can receive encouragement and inspiration from other group members.

In some cases, other group members may help clients create strategies to improve difficult situations. Through regular sessions, clients discover that they’re not alone, and they learn to put their struggles into perspective. If needed, group members can serve as accountability partners to assist clients with reaching their goals.

Depression Counseling at First City Recovery

If you’d like to learn more about our depression counseling in Kokomo, Indiana, feel free to contact our team. We’re always here for you, and we will be happy to discuss the depression counseling options that may be right for you. We look forward to being with you on your recovery journey.