Depression Therapist Los Angeles
What is Depression?
Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, occurs when an individual experiences depressed or low mood (sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness) and/or a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks at a time.
While depression impacts everyone in different ways, people with MDD also experience several symptoms in addition to low mood or loss of interest.
Other symptoms of depression include:
Changes in appetite
Changes in sleep (insomnia or hypersomnia)
Changes in movements or thinking
Fatigue or energy loss
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
Decreased ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness
Recurrent thoughts of death or ending your life
What Causes Depression?
Depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental factors. People who have a family history of depression, or genetic vulnerability, are at an increased risk of depression. Research also informs us that people with a pre-existing insomnia disorder or serious chronic diseases are also at increased risk.
Major life changes, trauma, and stress can also trigger depression. Sometimes, however, there is no obvious external cause.
While we still have much to learn about the biology of depression, we do know that experiencing symptoms of depression are in no way a sign of weakness and that there are many available treatments that can help.
How is Depression Treated?
Psychotherapy, either alone or in combination with medications, is an effective treatment for depression. The benefit of psychotherapy as opposed to treatment with medication alone is that therapy often has an enduring effect that protects against symptoms returning in the future.
Several different approaches to psychotherapy have been shown to help individuals recover from depression. Psychotherapy can help people with depression to:
Identify life events that contributed to their depression and help them find ways to change, accept or adapt to them
Identify unhelpful thought processes or behaviors that contribute to negative feelings
Develop skills to cope both with symptoms of depression and current stressors
Identify how to prevent future episodes of depression
Common Evidence-Based Therapies for Depression:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy in which people learn to identify and manage negative thought and behavior patterns. CBT helps people identify unhelpful or negative thinking, change inaccurate beliefs, change behaviors that might make depression worse, and interact with others in more positive ways.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a modified form of cognitive therapy that incorporates mindfulness practices, such as meditation, with cognitive therapy. Just like in CBT, MBCT teaches people how to break away from negative thought patterns. The difference in MBCT is that people learn how to change their relationship with their thoughts and emotions by watching them come and go, rather than getting wrapped up in them. Research shows us that MBCT is most effective in preventing the recurrence of future depressive episodes.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a form of therapy in which people learn to improve their relationships with others by better expressing their emotions and solving problems in healthier ways. IPT helps people resolve or adapt to troubling life events, build social skills and organize their relationships to increase support for coping with depressive symptoms and life stressors.
Brief Psychodynamic Therapy for depression focuses on increasing an individual’s awareness and insight about problematic patterns and core relationship themes related to depression. Dynamic therapy for depression tends to focus on: 1) how past experiences influence current functioning, 2) the expression of emotion, 3) the relationship with your therapist, 4) facilitation of gaining insight, and 5) the identification of core conflictual relationship themes.
While there is no one "right" approach to therapy, Dr. M works closely with her clients to create tailored treatment plans in the context of social, cultural, and environmental factors, to address their unique needs and concerns. Psychotherapy can help you learn ways to better cope with stress and manage your symptoms, enabling you to be your best self.