Psychotherapy for Depression

The most effective treatment for major depressive disorder is psychotherapy combined with pharmacotherapy. Psychotherapy or counseling involves receiving assistance to understand and resolve problems that may have contributed to the patient’s depression.

It mainly includes three modalities:

Cognitive therapy

Behavioral therapy

Interpersonal therapy

Cognitive therapy focuses on cognitive distortions like attention to negative aspects of circumstances, unrealistic morbid inferences of consequence etc. Here, the therapist helps the patient to identify and test their negative cognition and develop alternatives. Teaches positive ways of thinking, rehearsing new cognitions and their behavioral responses.

Behavioral therapy attempts to help patients to learn to function in the world, in a such a way that he receives positive reinforcement where he can change his maladaptive behavioral pattern into a more adaptive behavior.

Interpersonal therapy pays attention to non-assertive behavior and impaired social skills, which induces current interpersonal problems likely to have their routes in early dysfunction of relationships. It helps the patient to develop assertive skills, work on distorted thinking hence improve interpersonal functioning.