When you think of mental health and psychology, you will inevitably think of depression. It is one of the most commonly found psychological conditions. It is also one of the most popular ones as well. People casually say “I am depressed” when they are feeling a little low. In reality, depression is a clinical condition characterized by low mood, reduced energy, less interest in daily activities, which ultimately impacts your daily functioning i.e sleep, appetite, work, social life. Depression is treatable and can be managed with the help of psychotherapy and medications.

There are many therapeutic approaches to help in managing the depressive symptoms:

Cognitive and Behavioral Approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) are therapeutic models where the therapist focuses on the maladaptive thought patterns of the client. Our thoughts are triggered by some external or internal stimuli. These models believe that our thoughts influence our emotions, which in turn influences our behaviors. If one can change or modify the negative thoughts, our low mood will elevate and our behaviors will change.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is another model which is skill-focused and teaches the client – mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

Psychodynamic Approach

The Psychodynamic approach explores the client’s emotions and how the past experiences are causing an issue in the present. The therapist also focuses on the client’s defense mechanisms – behaviors that help in coping with distressing emotions (suppression, displacement). The sessions center around awareness of unconscious patterns of behaviors and emotions. The client’s past experiences are essential. Interpersonal relationships and attachment styles are also examined.

Interpersonal Therapy

Here, the therapeutic work focuses on the interpersonal lives of the client and how issues in their relationships are contributing to the depressive symptoms. Understanding one’s social roles and how to practice effective conflict resolution are part of this kind of therapy.

Family Constellation Therapy

Families carry ancestral pain and one’s dynamics and relationships within their family will contribute to their mental health. This type of therapy falls under expressive therapies and can be done in both individual and group settings.

Veda is the best luxury rehab chain with centers in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, which offers residential programs for depression. Veda also offers group therapy, couples therapy and family therapy.