First, let us address the elephant in the room of what is depression and how to seek online consultation for depression.
According to WHO, depression has been portrayed by a black dog in the life of Ronnie. Whenever the black dog made an appearance, Ronnie felt empty and his life slowed down.
The black dog could surprise him with a visit for no reason or occasion. It made him look and feel older than his years. When the rest of the world seemed to be enjoying life, he could only see it through the black dog.
Activities that usually brought pleasure to Ronnie suddenly got ceased, and his appetite was ruined. His memory and ability to concentrate started decreasing.
In social situations, Ronnie’s confidence was being sniffed away by the dog.
Ronnie feared what if people came to know about his conditions and what if they would judge him. He started investing a vast amount of energy into covering the dog up.
The black dog could make Ronnie think and say negative things. Also, making him irritable and difficult to be around. He loved nothing more than waking Ronnie up with highly repetitive and negative thinking. He also liked to remind Ronnie how exhausted he was going to be the next day.
Having a black dog in your life is not as much as feeling a bit down, sad, or blue……at its worst it is about being devoid of feeling altogether.
As Ronnie got older, the black dog got bigger and he started hanging around all the time. Ronnie would chase him off, but more often than not, the dog would come out on top. Ronnie was in a terrible state and this made him resort to self-medication, but eventually, it never helped and then he felt isolated from everything and everyone.
The black dog had finally succeeded in hijacking Ronnie’s life. At that time, he sought online consultation for depression. This was his first step towards his recovery and a major turning point in his life.
Ronnie learned that it does not matter who you are, the black dog affects millions and millions of people. Also, medication can help some but others might need a different approach altogether.
Ronnie also learned that being emotionally genuine and authentic to those who are close to you, can be an absolute game-changer.
Most importantly, he learned not to be afraid of the black dog. The more tired and stressed you are, the louder he barked. Thus, it is important to learn how to quiet your mind.
ONLINE COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY FOR CLINICAL DEPRESSION
While seeking online consultation for depression, there is an important therapy which is known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It is used to treat depression.
It works on your thinking process, and how you perceive things or analyze the situations.
It aims to identify and change your disturbing or irrelevant thoughts.
Example: A person thinks that he is good and confident; hence his positive thoughts will influence his behavior and feelings which will result in being happy and confident.
But if a person does not feel good about himself nor does he have the confidence, then this will lead to negative feelings and behavior. He will stop talking to people and will isolate himself completely.
The main motive of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is to identify the reason behind the thinking process in a particular situation and thereby change the mindset which will eventually result in a change in feelings and behavior.
Let’s look at how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy treats Depression.
- Depression
Thoughts we experience are:
- Negative focus.
- Feeling gloomy.
- Being Self-critical like no one likes me, I have messed up again.
- Regret doing stuff in the past.
Feelings: Depressed
- Tired.
- No energy.
- Not motivated.
- Not interested.
- Slowed down.
Behavior: Withdraw & Isolate
- Staying home
- Cutting off from others.
- Not socializing.
- Not doing much.
How Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for clinical depression breaks this cycle and pattern of the patient?
Behavior: Start exploring
- Go out more
- Connect with others.
- Learn coping skills
- Carry on a hobby or activity which you used to enjoy doing.
- Daily plan to achieve, connect and enjoy.
Thoughts: Positive
- Challenge our thoughts.
- Not believe or pay attention to our thoughts.
- Notice the positives.
- Learn new skills.
Feelings: Mood uplift
- Energy increases.
ONLINE PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR DEPRESSION
We need to identify and question, what is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is an option to help control or reduce symptoms of a mental health condition.
The therapy sessions can either be an individual, family, group, or a combination of these.
Now let us take a look at various online Psychotherapies for Depression:
- Individual Therapy
These are evidence-based therapies that can focus on diagnosis and symptoms. Depending on an individual’s specific needs, a healthcare professional can recommend an appropriate therapist who can help.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT
They are evidence-based therapies. This is intended to help a person modify behavior patterns or harmful thinking to more functional or healthy patterns. The therapists help you in understanding how thoughts affect attitude and actions.
- Interpersonal therapy or IPT
This therapy focuses on issues between the person and others. IPT is designed to help adults develop healthy communication and emotional expression.
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy or DBT
This therapy enables a person to learn to regulate emotions and is often used for chronic or complex issues.
You need to consult with your doctor about therapy options. It may take a little time to find the right therapist and treatment plan and that is okay. Remember that you are not alone and psychotherapy is one of the many steps you can take on your path to better mental health.
Let’s look at how Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety.
- Anxiety
Thoughts we experience are: Triggered by a past event
- Something bad is going to happen.
- Future based or catastrophic
- Will not be able to cope.
- The focus of attention is taken up by fear.
Feelings: Anxious
- Tense.
- Heart racing.
- Breathing fast.
- Light-headed
- Sweaty.
Behavior: Avoid or Escape Situations
- Staying home.
- Make excuses.
- Leave early.
How Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for anxiety breaks this cycle and pattern of the patient?
Thoughts: Learn STOPP skills.
- Challenge our thoughts.
- Not believe what our mind says.
- Not pay attention to our thoughts.
- Notice the positives.
- Learn new skills.
Behavior: Observant activity
- Make a plan to gradually do things that we normally avoid doing.
- Start small and build up.
- Stick with it in those situations.
- Learn coping skills
Feelings: Less anxious and more composed
- We will be calm.
- We will find out that every time we do the activities mentioned above, the anxiety reduces.
To conclude, online consultation for depression can be sought with the help of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
You can either find an online therapist or visit the clinic, the strategies and treatments used will be the same. You can also refer to CBT books and research them before meeting the therapist.
Feel free to reach out to us for counseling and psychotherapy sessions from our trained psychologists, and psychotherapists.