Depression Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Everyone struggles with depression now and again. It is a common fact of life that the death of a loved one, a new move, or chronic stress can lead to acute or temporary depression. But for others, symptoms of depression don’t have a direct cause or event, and they persist. In these cases, learning to manage symptoms with depression treatment is best. 

Centric Behavioral Health can help you find top-rated addiction treatment centers near you. Contact us today to learn more.

Symptoms of Depression

There are several types of depression, such as major depressive disorder, postpartum depression, or seasonal depression. While some have unique symptoms, most symptoms of depression are similar. 

• You might not value your life, which can lead to pulling away from activities, friends, communities, or family
• You fixate on your mistakes and find it difficult to focus on the present moment
• You avoid personal responsibility
• You struggle with feelings of hopelessness
• You have angry outbursts or other irritability
• You don’t experience sexual pleasure
• You have problems sleeping, either too much or too little
• You have problems eating, similarly, either too much or too little
• You gain or lose significant weight
• You stop caring about personal hygiene
• You consider self-harm

Symptoms of depression can ebb and flow, with some symptoms getting worse with time and others coming and going. 

Depression symptoms can also last for differing lengths of time, depending on the person. Some clients, for example, deal with symptoms of depression that remain for two or three weeks but then go away, while others deal with symptoms for months.

Managing Depression

Managing depression looks different for everyone, given how different depression can be. 

For example, if you suffer from seasonal depression, one of the best management techniques is to use a light blue box during the day and increase your exercise to naturally boost your endorphins. 

But for more severe cases, professional depression treatment is best. 

With professional depression treatment, you might:

Receive Medication

Medication management can be an essential part of recovery for clients. Medications can help clients manage their depression during acute episodes of bipolar disorder or chronic episodes, as with major depressive disorder. 

Start CBT

Managing depression is made easier if you have case-specific coping skills. Depression affects every client differently, and the causes of your condition will vary from the next person. But with professional treatment, you can treat symptoms of depression with things like CBT. 

CBT teaches you how to address, sometimes subconscious, automatic thinking and, by extension, the way your automatic thinking leads to negative emotions and actions. 

Learn Mindfulness

Other facilities will incorporate holistic depression treatment into your program like:

• Mindfulness
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Wilderness therapy
• Music therapy
• Art therapy

Many of these programs give you a chance to focus on the present. Cognitive behavioral therapy might help you recognize the difference between your perceived thoughts and reality, holistic treatment can help you bring your attention back to the present moment when you get stuck ruminating over the past or fixating on upcoming stress in the future.

Moreover, for many people, depression is tied to chemical imbalances in the brain, and things like Wilderness therapy or yoga can provide exercise routines that improve sleep, help with personal hygiene, and combat this one cause of depression.

If you struggle with symptoms of depression and drug or alcohol addiction, you need dual diagnosis services from a qualified treatment center. If that addiction is to alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids, you might need medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which requires specific licensing. 

Centric Group can help you find the right facility and the right mental health treatment.

Finding Treatment Near You

With Centric Group, you can find treatment centers based on the types of programs they offer. You can learn ways of managing depression by participating in non-traditional talk therapy if you are uncomfortable sitting on a couch and talking to a therapist individually. Equine therapy and music therapy are examples where you can focus any anxiety on the tactile engagement of what you are doing or watching. This can make some clients more at ease with discussing their emotions. 

If part of your symptoms of depression has to do with untreated trauma, you can find facilities that specialize in dual diagnosis services, providing drug and alcohol rehab as well as mental health treatment from a trauma-centered approach.

Reach out to our team today to learn more about nearby depression treatment.