Depression
Depression is a serious mental health disorder that includes intense sadness with feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, and hopelessness that can last for days to weeks at a time and keeps an individual from functioning normally. If left untreated, depression can have a devastating effect.
A combination of factors likely causes depression, including genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological. Some depression runs in families; however, depression can occur in individuals without a family history of depression. Triggers such as trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or other stressful situations can also cause a depressive disorder. There are no lab tests that effectively diagnose depression, so a clinician must talk with a patient about their specific symptoms to diagnose it. However, clinical depression can be hard to diagnose as it can manifest in many ways.
A combination of factors likely causes depression, including genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological. Some depression runs in families; however, depression can occur in individuals without a family history of depression. Triggers such as trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or other stressful situations can also cause a depressive disorder. There are no lab tests that effectively diagnose depression, so a clinician must talk with a patient about their specific symptoms to diagnose it. However, clinical depression can be hard to diagnose as it can manifest in many ways.
Symptoms of Depression
Symptoms of depression can be different for everyone, but for many, a depressive disorder changes their daily functioning, typically lasts for more than two weeks, and includes:
- Changes in sleep and appetite
- Lack of concentration
- Loss of energy
- Lack of interest in activities
- Hopelessness or guilty thoughts
- Changes in movement (less activity or agitation)
- Physical aches and pains
- Suicidal thoughts
How We Treat Depression
Our treatment environment is firmly rooted in our Social Integration Model™, which aims to encourage positive social functioning. Our individualized treatment plans are customized based on client’s individual needs; no two treatment plans are the same. We aim to assist in relieving the stress that comes from assimilating back into everyday life and help our clients achieve the highest levels of functioning and independence once they leave treatment. Our treatment for depression includes:
- Multiple levels of care designed to provide the ideal level of support to help clients reach their full potential of either independent or semi-independent living.
- Our Social Integration Model™ during which we teach skills in individual and group therapies, and then help clients put them into practice during on- and off-site activities.
- Each client is assessed throughout treatment by our experienced treatment team to advocate for the proper length of treatment to ensure the best chance for recovery.
- In tandem with our Social Integration Model™, we use multiple therapeutic modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), art therapy, family therapy, and others.