Depression & Depressive Disorders
The stories in this section examine the wide spectrum of depressive mood presentations clinicians encounter in practice, from major depression and dysthymia to trauma-linked and treatment-resistant forms. They also speak to the clinical realities of working with anhedonia, shame, and stalled motivation. You'll find expert guidance on addressing challenging symptoms that consider attachment history, co-occurring conditions, loss, global events, invalidation, and temperament. Throughout these pieces, gain insights on how to move beyond symptom reduction and work to restore agency, connection, and meaning in clients' lives.
The Shocking Treatment That Never Went Away
The Story of ECT—and Its Newer, Safer Alternatives
The Beauty of Longing and Melancholy
Susan Cain Celebrates the Sensitive Client
Watch this Networker Live event with "Girls on the Brink" author Donna Jackson Nakazawa. Read more
To help our clients grow into their most fulfilled selves, we can do more than mitigate negative or enervating thoughts. Read more
In the throes of depression, a therapist searches for a magic bullet. Read more
A terrifying journey shows just how much psychotic delusions are embedded in the unquestioned essence of a person’s thinking—as true as ocean, ground, and... Read more
In challenging times, these simple sensorimotor interventions for depression can be easily used in sessions. Read more
What strategies do psychotherapy's most effective therapists use to treat depression? Trauma expert and bestselling author Janina Fisher breaks down nine... Read more
Here are some simple Sensorimotor Psychotherapy interventions that can help those who are feeling depressed and alone. Read more
Sandra has been struggling with depression for many years. A psychiatrist has prescribed her an antidepressant, but she’s told her therapist she doesn’t... Read more
A troubled father casts a mysterious shadow over a little girl’s world. Read more
Fourteen-year-old client Tyler’s parents brought him to therapy because they say he rarely engages with classmates or teachers, isn’t interested in... Read more
My family is haunted by depression. My mother can trace it back in her family at least six generations. When it hits, it hits hard. My own battle with... Read more
Most clinicians know that if a person has suffered one bout of serious depression, he or she is much more vulnerable to another one. But most therapists still... Read more
At its worst, depression extinguishes your inner pilot light, depriving you of the substrate that makes you feel real. Sufferers complain of living in a fog... Read more
A karaoke performance on a psych ward helps a mother and daughter find a way to reconnect. Read more
A karaoke performance on a psych ward helps a mother and daughter find a way to reconnect. Read more
It’s always cause for celebration when depressed clients nears the finish line of treatment, feeling energized, empowered, and more content with their life... Read more
Michele Weiner-Davis's personal journey through depression reveals how love, hope, and human connection can be powerful medicine for healing. Read more
What do we know as therapists that can guide us in moving forward in both our personal lives as well as our work with clients? Read more
Depression is not a disease, so the promise of antidepressants as a cure just doesn’t hold water. That’s the assessment of James Gordon, M.D. and he should... Read more
Americans have a history of valuing quick-fix solutions to difficult problems. But the simplistic psychopharmacological approach to depressive disorders... Read more
It’s time to get beyond simplistic notions about “chemical imbalances” and finally reckon with how deeply rooted depression is in the uncertainties and... Read more
Because depressed clients repeat the same thoughts, feelings, and experiences over and over again, successful treatment breaks clients out of this trance. Read more
Evidence continues to accumulate that many people with depression suffer bouts of it all their lives, even after a good response to therapy. So what if we give... Read more
Relapse prevention begins in the first session, when we tell clients that we want to help them become their own therapists. Read more
One of the most useful ways of understanding depression is the stress generation model, based on the idea that depressed people need better skills and... Read more
Rarely is someone always depressed, or always empty, or always without energy, or always suicidal. If you (or the person you’re helping) explores exceptions... Read more
To help depressed clients figure out what they need to heal, mindfulness specialist Elisha Goldstein has developed several effective self-compassion practices... Read more
Margaret Wehrenberg identified specific types of anxious/depressed clients and has honed different treatment techniques that are effective. Read more
David Burns talks about how to set an agenda for therapy. Read more
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