Do you ever feel lonely when you are surrounded by people? Is it difficult for you to connect with others? Have you noticed a loss of pleasure in activities? Are you avoiding activities with others creating an exacerbated sense of isolation? These are some of the signs of depression. Depression is different for everyone even though there are some common characteristics. Some of these symptoms are daily sadness, changes in sleep, lack of interest in pleasurable activities, fluctuations in energy level, poor concentration, and changes in appetite. These symptoms can be accompanied by anxiety. Anxiety can also be referred to as feeling nervous or having jitters.
Treatment entails psychotherapy and sometimes medication management. That’s correct, not everyone requires medication to improve from depression. It has to do with the duration of symptoms and the severity. An experienced clinician can provide you with proper guidance regarding this issue. If we find that you are a good candidate for medication management, we can provide you with a referral and answer any questions you may have. A common misconception is “All psychiatric medications are addictive”. Actually, antidepressants are not addictive and work on feelings of depression and anxiety. Medications, when taken under the supervision of a psychiatrist are effective.
Here at Miami Psychology Group, we specialize in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). We believe in an individualized approach to treatment seeing that what is good for one is not necessarily good for all. CBT emphasizes the connection between Thought, Feeling, and Behavior. To identify irrational beliefs/thoughts, we often have you keep a thought log where you can write down the antecedent to the mood. An example of this is “I’m feeling my anxiety increase”. Why? My thought right before I experienced this feeling was “They’re going to find out I’m not good at my job” thus lowering self-esteem and sense of competence creating a negative feedback loop where you can easily get stuck. Through a series of different techniques and coping skills, we help to bring the core thought into awareness and change it to align with reality, so the resulting lack of self-esteem is greatly reduced.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, don’t go through this alone, Miami Psychology Group is here to help. Our psychologists provide confidential sessions tailored to your specific needs.