When a person is battling depression, one part of the treatment plan often involves learning how to change your perspective. That might sound a little silly or even a little simplistic, but it isn’t. It’s an important part of the treatment plan, and it’s easier said than done.
The following quote may help illustrate the point better: ‘When you’re in a dark place, you sometimes tend to think you’ve been buried. Perhaps you’ve been planted. Bloom.’ – Unknown
What is Depression?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression (major depressive disorder) is defined as ‘a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act’. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once found enjoyable. It can lead to a person’s inability to function properly, as they once did. Fortunately, it is treatable.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, often referred to as CBT, is a type of talk therapy. It is a very helpful tool, often used in combination with other types of therapies, to help treat depression and other types of mental health disorders. CBT can help a person recognize their negative thoughts and feelings. And it teaches them how to respond to these negative thoughts and feelings so they may be able to handle them better in the future.
Depression is more than just a bad habit, but just as a person makes changes to breaking a bad habit, a person can also make changes to their thinking to break the downward spiral these types of feelings can cause. And just like breaking a bad habit, it takes time to retrain your brain to change your perspective.
Elemental Mental Health Offers Mental Health Counseling Services for Depression
Are you suffering from depression or another mental health condition? Mental health counseling can help. Dr. Alyx MacTernan treats clients for depression using CBT and other forms of talk therapy. She offers convenient mental health counseling services via a secure online counseling platform so residents of Georgia, Florida, and Texas can seek help for depression from the comfort of their own home. Contact Elemental Mental Health today to learn more.