Depression Treatment
On average, one in every five Americans suffers from a mental health condition. It’s estimated that depression accounts for over 60% of these conditions, with many of those affected by depression left misdiagnosed or untreated. At Cypress Lake Recovery, we understand that depression is often overlooked, misinterpreted or simply misunderstood — but if you struggle with depression, it can affect everything in your life. Imagine how you feel when you have a bad day: sad, tired, grumpy or frustrated. For those with clinical depression, these bad moods can last weeks, months and even years. When you are dealing with these oppressive negative feelings every day for an extended period of time, it can be impossible to get out of bed in the morning let alone take care of day to day responsibilities.
Some develop depression as a side effect of substance abuse, but others have early- or late-onset depression based on their genetic background. At Cypress Lake Recovery, we know that depression is a serious condition that only gets worse when it occurs alongside addiction. Whether you experienced the effects of depression before the onset of addiction or it developed as a result of long-term substance abuse, we are here to help you solve the problem.
What is Depression?
Depression is a mental health condition that is described as a chemical imbalance in the brain resulting in feelings of isolation, hopelessness and sadness for weeks, months or years at a time. Those affected by depression are not able to enjoy life because there is always a dark cloud looming over everything — even the simplest moments. Depression is classified as a serious mental illness that should be addressed and treated as soon as possible. Undiagnosed depression poses a serious risk to the health and life of anyone who has it: despite being a treatable condition, it is one of the leading causes of suicide in the United States.
For Family Members and Friends:
Depression can be frightening for people, but it’s important to remember that it is something that doesn’t just go away. It’s a mental health condition that is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Knowing this will help a family member or friend understand what your loved one is going through. Anxiety and stress can become so crippling that it takes over your thoughts, actions, and behavior. When you notice signs of depression in your loved one, encouraging them to get help and improve their life is the best thing for them. They can’t do it alone, and the journey to recovery takes patience even with loved ones who surround them. Contacting a depression treatment institution could save their life and get them back on track to be a healthy and happy human being.
The Brain and Depression
Depression occurs when certain pathways in the brain — mainly those that control feelings of pleasure, reward and happiness — are interrupted or less active than they should be. The biological causes of depression can be difficult to understand because they are often different from patient to patient. It takes time to diagnose clinical depression, discover a particular person’s chemical imbalances and find the best way to correct or manage them. The process of depression can be so complex that many people simply live with their symptoms, not fully understanding that their day-to-day sadness is a treatable disease. If you think that you or your loved one might be struggling with depression, there are some signs you can watch for. Changes often occur in three main areas: physical, cognitive and social.
Three areas that change in someone affected by depression:
PHYSICALThe emotional concerns of depression are clear, but there are also ways that your body responds physically to how you’re feeling. Depression can be detrimental to your health when daily necessities like eating, exercising, sleeping and hygiene are neglected. Appetites change; someone with depression may not be eating enough, may be eating too much or might be ignoring nutrition. Sleep patterns can be interrupted; insomnia or lethargy often accompany depression. Energy levels are often lowered; those with depression tend to shy away from leaving the house or getting any kind of physical activity. Overall, someone struggling with depression is likely to experience noticeable physical changes as their illness progresses.
COGNITIVEAs depressive thoughts consume the mind, the brain’s ability to do other things begins to dwindle. Lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating or making decisions and thinking negatively are all signs of clinical depression, particularly in someone who used to be energetic or upbeat. Cognitive changes such as these can cause issues with family members and friends, putting stress on relationships because channels of communication are closed and nothing seems to be getting through to the affected person. When you feel depressed, your entire thought process changes — you are no longer able to make the best of situations, enjoy happy moments or “find the silver lining.” This aspect of depression often has the unfortunate effect of pushing people away because it is difficult for others to be around constant negativity. In fact, the depressed person needs more support — but it is frustrating for loved ones who want to help but can’t seem to be able to make any difference.
SOCIALOne of the most noticeable ways that depression can change a person is in their personality and attitude. Too often, we hear that people who were once happy and outgoing have withdrawn and become disinterested in being around others. Social situations can be difficult because someone experiencing depression isn’t interested in being part of the group. Isolation is a major factor in depression since being around people that are enjoying themselves is hard for a depressed person to bear. Again, relationships suffer because connections with friends and family are cut off. Those suffering from depression feel disconnected to the people around them, so it’s often easier for them to cut off communication altogether. If you notice a drastic personality change like this, it might be time to talk to a professional about how to get help for yourself or your loved one.
Education and Application
At Cypress Lake Recovery, we treat mental health disorders like depression by combining education for our patients and their families with our holistic treatment modalities. As an addiction recovery center, many of our patients come from backgrounds of drug abuse and are not ideal candidates to treat depression with medications. Instead of simply treating the symptoms of depression with medication, it is our goal to teach our patients healthy habits so that they can manage and cope with depression on their own. It is also vital for someone with clinical depression to have a strong support system surrounding them — one that understands how they can offer help when depressive episodes strike. This is why we try to involve our patients’ friends and family whenever possible, particularly in the case of co-occurring addiction and depression, through our family therapy programs.
In our programs, we allow our patients to take a step back and understand their feelings, moods and behaviors. We teach them to separate their addiction from their depression and learn to understand that these are separate yet related concerns. We ask them to notice the differences inside themselves when they feel depressed and when they don’t; these observations help them understand the symptoms of depression and how they experience their illness. These exercises also allow our staff to compassionately understand where each person comes from so that we can provide treatment that works on an individual level. We meet you where you are when you begin any recovery program, because the first steps are the hardest.
When we treat depression with counseling and other socially integrating activities, patients find that there is hope and that their addiction does not need to be their first and only method of dealing with their illness. Depending on the severity of the addiction, we craft a special treatment plan that will begin with detox first and foremost. After detox, we pair our patients with one particular counselor that will work best with them on these concerns.
Often when we treat depression with counseling and other socially integrating activities, patients find that there is hope and their addiction isn’t their first method of dealing with their illness. Depending on the severity of the addiction, we craft a special treatment plan that will begin with detox first and foremost. After detox, we pair our patients with one particular counselor that will work with them best on these concerns.
Dual Diagnosis Counseling and Therapy
At Cypress Lake Recovery, our skilled medical teams come together to create custom treatment plans that work to treat both depression and any concurrent addiction. Our staff is uniquely qualified to treat patients with both a mental health disorder and an addiction — known as dual diagnosis, this situation is incredibly common due to the interplay between substance abuse and the brain. When you struggle with a mental health disorder like depression while you are also fighting an addiction, it is necessary to treat both illnesses before you can achieve sustainable recovery. Our approach to treating depression and addiction blends psychotherapy and holistic therapy to treat every aspect of both concerns and give you long-lasting tools that can be used beyond our programs. Our counseling approach first teaches our patients to be aware of themselves and to be accountable for their actions. Then, we can pinpoint where the addiction stems from so that we can treat it completely.
Addiction and Depression Counseling
During counseling sessions, each patient is offered a list of integrative therapies that will help brighten their mood and allow them to focus on everything that’s positive in their lives. We help our patients unlock parts of their personalities that can change their perspective on life or reveal a new piece of the puzzle as to why they have turned to addiction. We begin building the foundation for life after addiction treatment with a skill set that can help them manage their mental health condition and live life without the use of addictive substances.
We offer a selection of integrative therapies that will allow each patient the ability to express themselves in a safe environment. Our counselors are skilled in treating clinical depression and depression that is a side effect of addiction. Our patients find ways to live without addictive substances because they can turn to other life-enriching activities that will help them experience the positive, and if necessary, we have options for medication management.
Contact Cypress Lake Recovery
If you or your loved one may be dealing with depression, addiction or another mental health concern, there is no reason to hesitate to reach out for help. For premier addiction recovery treatment and dual diagnosis treatment in the Woodville, Texas area, Cypress Lake Recovery is proud to offer its services. To learn more about our therapies and programs, contact us today at 409-407-4976.