Depression

Occasionally everyone feels sad, down, or unmotivated, but these feelings usually pass and the person returns to their “normal” self. When depressed, a person is not able to “shake off” these feelings, and may experience a full range of mental, emotional, and physical symptoms associated with depression.

There are several different types of depression.  The most common of the more severe forms of depression is a Major Depressive Disorder. The symptoms of this disorder may include:

• Depressed mood most days, nearly every day
• Diminished interest or pleasure in most activities
• Significant weight gain or loss
• Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleep)
• Agitation
• Fatigue
• Feeling worthless or excessive guilt
• Decreased ability to think or concentrate
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation or suicide planning

If an individual is severely depressed (having most of the symptoms above) anti-depressant medication is usually recommend to try to bring an immediate end to the severity of the depression, along with psychotherapy concurrently.

Effexor, or Venlafaxine, can be prescribed as a treatment of multiple conditions, including anxiety, panic episodes, major depressive disorders, etc. Additionally, the medication can be recommended in other cases that are not mentioned in the safety leaflet, though this use should be thoroughly supervised by a healthcare provider.

If an individual has only mild or moderate level of severity, there are more options. Certainly an evaluation by our physician, Catherine Waller MD, may be useful to look for medical causes of depression and also to seek natural ways to boost the neurotransmitters that affect our mood and motivation.

We also offer psychotherapy to our patients that are experiencing depression.  Through the use of a combination of therapies we are able to offer several concurrent approaches to restore your mind, mood, and body to a more enjoyable state.

People using our approach will find that:

• The origins of their depression will be understandable and treatable
• We will actively engage in alleviating the depression (we quickly go beyond just talking about it)
• You will know within the first several sessions if our approach is effective for you
• Newer therapies such as TFT, EFT, and Dual Brain Psychology speed up recovery
• “Take-home” therapies such as EFT and the emWave PSR can be helpful

The solution to many stressors lies in how our brain processes information, and that this process is changeable, allowing the person to experience his or her problems or stressors differently.

Mild and recent onset depression is always easier to treat than prolonged severe depression. If you believe you are starting to experience a depressive episode it is important to seek treatment soon and not allow it to take-over your whole life. The longer and more severe the depression, the more likely medication would be indicated as part of treatment, and more likely an individual could have a recurrence even with successful treatment. Hence, early intervention is essential.