Depression Treatment
When Depression Depletes Your Vitality, It Can Be Hard To Find Hope That Help Is Out There
If you’re feeling empty, hopeless, and no longer satisfied or energized by the elements of life that once brought joy, you may be suffering from depression.
Depression affects individuals from all walks of life. Even if you have a good career, a stable relationship, and are “successful” by society’s measures, symptoms of depression can create an overwhelming sense of stagnancy and low self-esteem. No longer motivated to tackle the day, you may feel as though you have to wear a mask just to get by.
These feelings can inevitably rob you of your drive to keep working toward your goals, leading to an overwhelming sense of worthlessness and lack of purpose.
Common Symptoms Of Depression
In addition to a pervasive feeling of hollowness, there are other physical, emotional, and relational signs that indicate depression. You may have lost the ability to experience pleasure or find fulfillment in your work, hobbies, or relationships. Perhaps your capacity for joy has been replaced by a short fuse, causing you to become regularly agitated and irritable. Because you’re unable to access feelings of optimism or affirmation, you may have developed a negative self-image that fuels your inner critic.
A struggle with poor self-esteem likely impacts your ability to be social. Instead of engaging with others, you may be more interested in spending time alone and tuning out the world by becoming engrossed in television, video games, or engaging in numbing behaviors like substance abuse. You may be withdrawn or feel disconnected from others, convinced that no one understands you.
And since depression robs you of your motivation and energy, physical symptoms are likely to surface alongside emotional ones. You may often be exhausted, fighting sensations of heaviness and trudging through sand. Besides being deprived of sleep, you may find that your eating patterns have changed, whether you tend to overeat or have lost your appetite altogether.
If you could revive the part of yourself that possesses energy and zeal, you’d be able to feel joyful and motivated again. And though coping with depression requires time and therapeutic treatment, overcoming the emptiness is possible.
Many Factors Contribute To The Onset Of Depression
Often co-occurring, depression and anxiety are widely diagnosed conditions that affect individuals across socioeconomic lines. And while these conditions have always been common, recent data shows the rate of clinical depression has tripled since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. As of 2021, researchers estimate that at least one in three adults now struggles with depression.
Alongside circumstantial factors and significant life transitions, depression can originate in a person’s biology. Yet most mental health experts believe that a combination of stressors—including trauma, genetic predisposition, physical illness, and in some cases, certain medications—is what ultimately contributes to the onset of depression in individuals.
Unfortunately, when it comes to finding relief, we might not know where to look, how to ask for support, or who can help us overcome depression. Chronic exhaustion, isolation, and shame discourage us from believing that our depression is treatable. And sometimes, those close to us can inadvertently minimize or exacerbate our symptoms, furthering feelings of hopelessness and invalidation.
But treating depression is possible. In counseling, you can process your experiences as you receive the honest feedback and validation you need to move forward.
Depression Treatment Can Enhance Your Motivation And Self-Compassion
Counseling at Bay Area Mental Health offers a nonjudgmental atmosphere where you can work with someone invested in your healing. As you receive guidance from a therapist who will help you identify your thoughts and emotions, you can begin the process of loosening the shackles of depression.
Our clinicians actively collaborate with our clients to create treatment goals and plans for targeting depression. We go beyond “just listening” to ensure that you feel seen and understood throughout the course of counseling. By offering perspective, skills-building, and allowing you to process past trauma, your therapist will help you to see how depression is stored in the mind and body.
In addition to psychodynamic methods that will provide you with clarity into your early relationships and belief systems, we may use behavioral therapies—including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)—that enhance your ability to tolerate distress and increase your resilience. We may also incorporate somatic (or body-based) therapies to regulate the nervous system and humanistic approaches that will increase your sense of self-compassion and insight.
Our Approach Can Offer Hope Where Other Treatments Have Failed
For clients who struggle with severe clinical depression that has not improved with traditional therapeutic treatment, Bay Area Mental Health provides the option of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy—or KAP—for clients who qualify. A verified technique for treatment-resistant depression (or TRD), KAP offers medical and therapeutic relief where other interventions may not have been successful. To learn more, please visit our Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy page.
Regardless of the approach we use, therapy will help you develop the skills and outlook you need to feel more hopeful and self-compassionate. With this insight, you’ll be able to identify the parts of life that motivate you and learn how to take care of your mental, physical, and emotional health. In therapy, you can re-establish the support, engagement, and encouragement that has been missing.
You don’t have to feel stuck and stagnant any longer—with depression treatment at Bay Area Mental Health, a new experience of life is possible.
Maybe You’re Considering Therapy For Depression At Bay Area Mental Health, But You Still Have Concerns…
Going to therapy is admitting that I am weak or crazy.
Seeking support is not a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of courage. Going to counseling for depression is not unlike going to a doctor for a physical ailment. And just like it might make an injury worse to power through without the guidance of an expert, struggling through depression without the help of a therapist might make things worse.
A therapist can help you develop the skills to view your situation differently and reduce symptoms of depression in ways that you may not be able to accomplish on your own.
Therapy is only for serious problems—not mild depression.
It’s often difficult to gauge the severity of our hardships. Some of us who struggle with depression are told to “get over it” or that overcoming our challenges is our job to do alone. When this happens, we’re at risk of seeking treatment only when our depression has become so bad that it’s unmanageable.
By committing to therapy when early signs of depression surface, you are proactively protecting yourself from the severity and pain of a clinical condition, which is likely to make your time in counseling shorter and less expensive in the long run.
How do I know if I am eligible for ketamine-assisted treatment for depression?
If your symptoms of depression are chronic and severe enough that other interventions haven’t been effective, you may be a candidate for Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy at BAMH. This treatment is for clients looking for deeper spiritual insight or whose symptoms of depression have been resistant to other therapies or medications. We encourage you to contact us to find out more about if you qualify.
You Can Gain New Perspective To Find Hope And Meaning In Life
If you struggle with isolation, emptiness, and a lack of motivation, depression treatment at Bay Area Mental Health can help you develop self-compassion and revitalize your outlook on life.
For more information or to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation with one of our therapists, please reach out via our contact page.
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