What Psychological Treatments are Effective for Depression?

DEPRESSION
 
 
 
 
What Psychological Treatments Are Effective For Depression?
 
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Introduction
Depression is currently one of the most serious health problems affecting the adult population. It is in fact the 2nd most common diagnosis for a disability pension (Seikkula, 2013, p. 281). There are different approaches embraced in the treatment of depression. One of the commonly used approaches is the use of psychological therapies. Some psychological treatments for depression have proved to be very effective. They are effective in the sense that; they do not only cure the experienced depression, but also prevent the reoccurrence of the same. Linde et al. (2015, p. 56) reported that there is an agreement among academics that psychological interventions play an integral role in treating depression disorders. This paper analyses the effective psychological treatment of depression in view of how they are utilized and how effective they are in treating the depression and preventing the occurrence of the same. In so doing, there has been review of the available literature that guides in understanding the different aspects involved in the utilization of the psychological treatment of depression. There is extensive prove that psychotherapy can go a long way in addressing the different ailments that affect the humanity. There has been wide research conducted concerning this issue. However much still needs to be done especially in the investigation of the actual usage of psychotherapy in specific areas.
Depression and Psychological Treatment
Many people may confuse depression with the usual occurrence of sad moods that come and go within a short period of time. These cannot be said to be depression although many people experiencing such sad moods may often complain that they are having depression. When the sad moods are so deep and prolonged to the extent of interfering with ones daily activities, then that signifies depression. Luckily, depression could be treated successfully in adults (Cuijpers et al., 2013, p. 237). Although depression is a common illness, it is very much serious because it causes pain not only to the person suffering from it but also to those who care for the person ailing from depression. Many people assume that there is no treatment for depression; and therefore when they suffer from it; they do not seek treatment. What they do not realize is that, depression can get better with treatment. Medications as well as psychotherapies can treat even the most severe depression. One of the risk factors for depression, particular among the young people, is low academic achievement (Huang, 2015, p. 440). There are several types of depressions mainly based on the severity. Major depression is the kind of depression that has severe symptoms such that one finds it difficult to perform the daily chores for instance; studying, sleeping, eating and enjoying life in general. Persistent depressive disorder is the kind of depression that involves persistent depressive mood that lasts for a long period of time such as two years. Researchers have reported that the occurrence of depression is higher amongst women and relational problems are widespread in depression (Seikkula et al., 2013, p. 282). Researchers have reported that there is a link between depression and romantic relationship processes. Moreover, evidence illustrates links between depression and marital distress and destructive ways utilized in dealing with conflict (Woods, Priest & Denton, 2015, p.44). Depression is also common in teens. Each year, an estimated 20% of teenagers worldwide would experience a mental health problem including anxiety or depression (Livheim et al., 2014, p.1016).
The different forms of depression require management so as help the patients to heal and also to prevent reoccurrence of the depression. There are various methods that are used in managing the depression. Among those methods, psychological treatment such as Cognitive –Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has proved to be very much effective (Callesen, Jensen & Wells, 2014, p. 60). There are various psychological treatments that have shown positive results in treatment of depression. The psychological treatments are lauded for helping the patients to change the thinking patterns that subject them to depression so as to improve the coping skills. The psychological treatments, also known as talking therapies help the patients to recover and also to minimize the chances of recurrence of the depression. The psychological treatments help the patients to be able to deal with stresses and conflicts associated with life. In treating adolescent depression, clinicians should understand that a lot of teenagers usually experience and express depression than grownups do. Adolescents who are depressed exhibit symptoms that are typical of adult-onset depression, as well as higher frequencies of angry and irritable moods, withdrawal from some people, unexplained aches and moods, slowing of speech and movement, and they become very sensitive to criticism (Hsieh & Bean, 2014, p. 400).
The usage of psychology in treatment of depression is based on the realization that most of the depression emanate from the inability of the patient to deal with stresses and conflicts that arise in life. Therefore, psychological treatment orients to equipping the patient with skills that may help in dealing with the stresses and conflicts that are bound to happen in life. In their study, Cuijpers et al. (2015, p. 237) found that psychotherapy results in reduced depression levels in mothers who are depressed and that psychotherapy might have positive effects on their children’s mental health. They also reported that psychotherapy could have a positive effect on parental/marital distress. Since it is not possible for people to completely eliminate the stresses and conflicts because most of the times they are not in control of their occurrence; the best way is for people to learn to deal with them in such a way that they do not leave them depressed. 
There has been evidence that psychotherapy can address depression in patients of different ages. Contrary to the belief of many that psychological treatment cannot work out for the severe depression, it has been ascertained that psychotherapy works even better in the patients with severe depression. According to Callesen, Jensen and Wells (2014, p. 60), cognitive-behavioral therapy is one treatment for depression that is commonly recommended and has been used in treating depression for years mainly because of the large number of clinical trials that support its effectiveness. There have been misgivings about the combination of psychological treatment alongside the medical treatment. When psychological therapy is combined with the correct medication there is bound to be better results. The patients are able to recover quickly and without relapses. There has also been less suicide cases associated with the combination of psychological treatment with medication. When providing psychological treatment to a patient from a different culture, it is important for the clinician to be culturally sensitive. For instance, when a clinician works with families of Chinese culture/ethnicity, he needs to respect the culture of the family without pushing his values on that family (Hsieh & Bean, 2014, p. 408).
The usage of psychological treatment for depression has also been lauded to yield positive results in patients suffering from depression alongside or emanating from other kinds of diseases. The positive impacts of the psychological intervention have been very much associated with the patients suffering from Cardiac Heart Disease. This disease is associated with depression to the patients. The efficacy of psychological intervention in reducing the levels of depression in primary care patients has been proved (Linde et al., 2015 p. 57). Combination of the psychological therapy with medication has been seen to reduce cardiac related deaths in the cardiac heart disease patients. The psychotherapy is more effective in reducing smoking in the cardiac heart patients. This is crucial considering that smoking is a risk factor in the cardiac heart disease.
The Psychological Treatments
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Following the realization of the effectiveness of the psychological intervention in the treatment of depression, there has been much adoption of the psychotherapy. There are various psychological treatments which have proved to be very effective in the treatment of depression. One of the most commonly used and effective psychological treatment is the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. A number of meta-analysis and randomized trials have tested Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on people who are depressed and supported its effectiveness in comparison to medication and waiting lists (Callesen, Jensen & Wells, 2014 p. 60). This psychological treatment is based on the realization of the fact that a person’s way of thinking as well as the behavior affects the way they feel. If two people think and behave in different ways, then their feelings are different too.
The realization of these crucial facts enables people to control their ways of thinking as well as the behavior; so that their feelings can change. Positive thinking and behavior is associated with good feelings that can contribute to enjoyment of life in full. On the other hand, negative thinking and behavior is associated with negative feelings. Such negative feelings could result to disorders such as depression. CBT is a very effective psychological treatment for depression. Creech et al. (2012, p. 364) noted results from a trial of CBT for depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder sample that comprised 150 women that had experienced Interpersonal Violence. The findings revealed that decreases in symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder were linked to reduced probability of interpersonal violence victimization at follow-up (Creech et al., 2012, p. 364). The cognitive Behavior Therapy has been effective in treatment of depression in people of different ages. Children, adolescents as well as adults have been cured by use of the cognitive behavior therapy.
Cognitive behavior therapy works by way of engaging the depressive patient with a professional therapist. The therapist guides the patient in identifying the thinking and behavior patterns that subject them to depression or lead to failure of recovery. Due to the stigma linked to depression in the Chinese America culture, therapists should confront symptoms of depression quickly and directly. Moreover, given that the initial sessions of CBT could focus only on the depressed person, the rest of the patient’s family members can be excluded from stigma – this will allow them to save face (Hsieh & Bean, 2014, p. 409). The patients are guided to honestly come up with those thought and behavior patterns that are really subjecting them to depression. Once the thought and behavior patterns have been identified, the therapist guides the patient in coming up with ways of rationally facing issues in life. The main goal here is to change the thought and behavior patterns that subject the patient to depression and adopt the positive thoughts and behavior patterns that lead to facing of life challenges in a rational manner. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been shown to be effectual in the treatment of depression partly because of it direct approach in challenging the problem (Hsieh & Bean, 2014, p. 409).
Attitudes that lead to a more posit...