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Types of Psychotherapy for Depression Treatment

Counseling Services Offer Group and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Sep 18, 2009 Michael McGrath

Psychotherapy for depression treatment focuses on interpersonal and cognitive behavioral therapy in combination with antidepressants.

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is one of the most effective treatments for clinical depression. People who undergo psychotherapy experience fewer depression relapses than people who opt for other treatment choices

Types of Talk Therapy

Many types of psychotherapy exist. A therapist’s choice depends on the individual needs of the patient coupled with the counseling service’s resources. Common psychotherapy approaches to depression treatment include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy and psychodynamic therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term talk therapy used to treat different types of depression and related mood disorders. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is to change thoughts and behavior that aggravate and prolong depression symptoms.

“Short-term” does not mean that cognitive behavioral therapy offers only temporary depression help, only that sessions run for a set period of time. CBT sessions generally last from ten to twenty weeks and are highly structured. Patients can expect “homework” assignments to work on in between sessions.

Interpersonal Therapy and Depressive Episodes

Like cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy is short-term talk therapy. Interpersonal therapy examines the link between depression and the depressed person’s relationship with family, friends and other members of society. By addressing relationship difficulties and offering alternative behavior patterns interpersonal therapy removes potential depression triggers.

Psychodynamic Therapy and Long-Term Depression Treatment

Psychodynamic therapy assumes the root cause of clinical depression lies in past traumas and forgotten conflicts. Such conflict is usually buried in the subconscious mind and may have its origin in childhood. The goal of psychodynamic therapy is to gradually explore and resolve such conflicts.

Psychodynamic therapy resembles, to some degree, popular culture’s view of the therapist/client relationship. Unlike interpersonal therapy or CBT, psychodynamic therapy can last for months or years.

Individual and Group Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy may take place as individual or group-oriented sessions, depending on the type of talk therapy and patient needs. Group therapy often focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy, although either therapy choice can also occur in individual settings. Interpersonal therapy naturally lends itself to group sessions, and is often offered by counseling services as part of family or couples therapy. Psychodynamic therapy is often (although not always) undertaken in individual sessions.

The Limits of Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy for depression can be very effective, but has certain limitations. People with severe depression or exhibiting suicidal behavior may resist counseling services, which rely on patient involvement for success. In such cases depression medication may be the first treatment offered, with talk therapy postponed until antidepressants begin to alleviate depression symptoms.

While psychotherapy reduces the risk of depression relapse, talk therapy takes longer to treat depression than antidepressants. For many people the best treatment choice is a combination of depression medication and counseling services.

Resources

Cleveland Clinic. (Retrieved 16 September, 2009). Psychotherapy for Depression.Depression.com. (Retrieved 16 September, 2009). Psychotherapy.

Disclaimer: The information contained within this article is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute in any way for care and treatment by a qualified health professional.

The copyright of the article Types of Psychotherapy for Depression Treatment in General Medicine is owned by Michael McGrath. Permission to republish Types of Psychotherapy for Depression Treatment in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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