How to make your treatment for depression more effective and successful

Today’s post is directed at those who are depressed and are contemplating or already receiving treatment from a mental health professional such as a psychologist. I want to share with you some suggestions about how you can optimize the effectiveness of treatment for depression.  These suggestions are based on both published research and from my experience as a psychotherapist and as someone who has had personal experience with depression.  Most of these suggestions hold true not only for the treatment of depression but for the treatment of any psychological problem.

Depression is complex in its origin and no one therapeutic strategy works for everyone

My first suggestion is that you understand that there is no single way to treat depression.  As discussed in a previous post, depression is very complex in its causation and manifestations: one must consider genes, environment, and the interactions between these factors.  Since each one of these factors is unique for each individual, each person’s depression is different in its causation, in the way it manifests itself, and correspondingly in the way or ways it can be alleviated.  Hence there is no single miracle “cure” for depression that works for everyone.