Most people who are naive about depression think that it is only about having negative emotions like sadness, anger, anxiety, and loneliness. Depressed individuals soon learn that abnormal thoughts are actually the heart of their depression and the source of most of its problems. Thoughts of worthlessness drive emotions of guilt and remorse. Nihilistic thoughts of hopelessness and death cause emotions of desperation and doom that can hijack your future plans and may even threaten your survival. Problems with thinking and decision making can also cause failures in your work, school, and personal life, producing even more negative emotions.
On the bright side, your thoughts provide you with tools to fight your unipolar major depression. Most of psychotherapy consists of changing your emotions by changing the way that you think.
- Are psychiatrists trained to do psychotherapy?
- Why do I have to pay a psychotherapist when I can talk to friends and family?
- Should I start medicine or therapy first?
- Should I choose psychotherapy or medication treatment for my depression?
- Will it be necessary for me to try more than one antidepressant?
- What can psychotherapy give me that I cannot get from my medication?
- Is psychotherapy as effective as medications?
- What are the advantages of psychotherapy?
- What is psychotherapy?
- What do I do if I feel my doctor is making all my decisions for me and not allowing me to help find the right treatment?
- What if I am not satisfied with the treatment my current doctor is providing?
- Can I choose my own psychiatrist through an HMO or clinic?
- What should I look for in the first appointment to indicate that a new doctor is right for me?
- What is the psychiatrist looking for in our first few sessions?
- What does a psychiatrist usually do during the first appointment?
- Sometimes my antidepressant seems to have failed and I feel sad again what’s happening?
- What if I have to wait too long to get an appointment with the psychiatrist I want to see?
- What should I look for in a psychiatrist?
- What should I ask a psychiatrist before I see her?
- How can I find a good psychiatrist?
