Treatment of clinical depression.

In a previous post I described the various ways depression can manifest itself and in today’s post I wish 
to focus on ways to cope with or treat clinical depression.

If you think you might be depressed, I have described in this post the steps to take to alleviate this very treatable condition.  To summarize they are:

• consult a mental health professional to obtain a qualified assessment of the degree of seriousness of your mood disturbance

• obtain from this professional a recommendation of what steps you can take to alleviate whatever degree of depression you have
• get actively involved in your recovery program
• develop a “Maintenance program” to maintain your recovery.

Are you experiencing normal sadness or clinical depression?

In the previous post I discussed the ways that ordinary sadness and clinical depression are distinguished.  However this is not always easy.  For example if you have experienced depression over a long period of time, perhaps from childhood, it may seem “normal” to you but it most definitely is not.  Therefore I recommend that you have a “depression check up” from a competent mental health professional such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker.