Depression Treatment Mismatch?

You walk into your doctor’s office, looking a bit glum, and you are handed a prescription for an antidepressant. When you ask why, she says, “You don’t look like your usual self. You need something to help, an antidepressant”.

An extreme example? Very likely she has something there. She sees that something is bothering you.  To be more thorough, she may use one or more of various available measures as a basis for this diagnosis.

And she may very well be right. As John M. Grohol, Psy.D. explains,

“Depression symptoms take many forms, and no two people’s experiences are exactly alike. A person who’s suffering from this disorder may not seem sad to others”.

Thus the antidepressant script:

Antidepressants are used most often for serious depressions, but they can also be helpful for some milder depressions. Antidepressants are not “uppers” or stimulants, but rather take away or reduce the symptoms of depression and help depressed people feel the way they did before they became depressed. ( psychcentral.com/lib/antidepressant-medications)

If your doctor has known and treated you for some time, her professional observations may detect what others might miss.

However:

A new study, conducted 2012-2013, finds that most Americans with depression get no treatment at all, while more than two-thirds of patients are treated — even though they do not report depressive symptoms or serious psychological distress.

Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the University of Pennsylvania discovered that less than one-third of American adults who screened positive for depression received treatment for their symptoms.

The study also found that among those who are treated for depression, less than one-half of those with severe psychological distress are seen by a mental health specialist.

Results of the study appear in JAMA Internal Medicine.

“Greater clinical focus is needed on depression severity to align depression care with each patient’s needs,” said Mark Olfson, M.D., M.P.H., professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the University of Pennsylvania and senior author of the report.

(Rick Nauert PhD. associate professor for Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals doctoral program in health promotion and wellness. Study Finds Striking Mismatch of Depression And Treatment, (psychcentral.com/news, Aug 30, 2016)

Bottom of Form

Generally psychotherapy is recommended whenever a person is grappling with a life, relationship or work issue or a specific mental health concern, and these issues are causing the individual a great deal of pain or upset for longer than a few days. There are exceptions to this general rule, but for the most part, there is no harm in going into therapy even if you’re not entirely certain you would benefit from it.

Psychotherapy — also called talk therapy, therapy, or counseling — is a process focused on helping you heal and learn more constructive ways to deal with the problems or issues within your life. It can also be a supportive process when going through a difficult period or under increased stress, such as starting a new career or going through a divorce. (Op. Cit. Grohol)

This is where Counseling on Demand comes in. Talk therapy is not just talk. It is the relationship that heals.

We are online at CounselingonDemand.com.

We are only a click away.