Treatment for Depression

We’ve all be there.  You wonder if you are making too big a deal out of your symptoms, but you know that “something” just doesn’t seem to feel quite right. You suspect that you are going to be okay, but as time goes on, you begin to realize that the “stuff” you’ve been noticing isn’t going away.  You might be questioning, whether you should reach out to someone about this or if it is time to look into it further.  So, how can you know?

Well, depression show up in different ways for different people. Some people might describe feeling it like a sense of sadness but with a much heavier weight, like constantly wearing a heavy, wet blanket of gloom.  Others might experience it as an apathy toward life where things that used to matter just don’t seem to matter much to them anymore.  Yet, other people may experience it as not feeling “anything,” or “just not able to get motivated to do anything.”

If you have been experiencing any of the things mentioned above for more than two weeks, it’s likely time to reach out to your primary care provider or a therapist. Sometimes, it’s just a passing funk, but sometimes, it can be something medical, too.  Yet, it is often a mental, emotional, and physical issue that can benefit from time as well as medical and mental health care. Often, a combination of approaches can work together to get you feeling back to your old self once again, engaged in your life, wanting to do things, and moving forward.

As for the mental health piece, we can assure you that everybody feels a bit down now and then, and there are times when it is actually healthy to feel sad.  For instance, when someone you love dies, you lose a job, you go through a divorce, or when you lose something else that is meaningful to you, you will be affected.  This is part of being human and caring about people and things. So, in these times, it is completely healthy and natural to experience feelings of sadness, tiredness, or needing to step back and take a break from somethings to regroup.

However, you might be struggling with a clinical depression if you notice any of the following symptoms persisting throughout the day, overtaking you, or paralyzing you like a constant foggy cloud over time. If you find that you relate to the following, take heart, we can help you to recover.

Common Symptoms

·      Severe sad and down feelings

·      A loss of desire to do something that you typically enjoy

·      Depressed feelings upon waking, or waking early with these feelings

·      Major appetite changes, eating too little or too much

·      Feeling excessive agitation

·      Feeling excessive guilt

·      Having difficulty moving or taking action

·      Difficulty taking care of the activities of daily living

·      Slow, sluggish feelings

·      A sense that things will never get better

·      Thoughts that the world would be better off without you

·      An impeding sense of doom

·      Restlessness

·      Excessive worry or fear of loss of control

·      Anxiety

Healing Is Possible

Whether you are experiencing some or all of the above, or you are noticing these in someone you love, help is here. We at Omaha Trauma Therapy want to assure you that healing is possible no matter how overwhelming things may feel or seem to be right now.

·      In addition to the above, sometimes there can be other factors that may be experienced alongside of depression. These may include bouts of feeling extra energetic, as if driven by a motor, super confident or provocative in nature, or even recklessness in behavior. These things can lead to poor choices and actions such as overspending or being sexually promiscuous.

 ·      One might occasionally hear voices or feel as though being instructed to do things they would never ordinarily want to do, such as hurting someone else or oneself.  

While these experiences may sound scary and feel confusing if you or someone you know are experiencing them, they are signs of other conditions from which we also can help bring healing. You may have heard terms like Bipolar or Psychosis, and they might feel scary, especially if you think you might be affected by these symptoms. We understand, and if these are included in what you are experiencing, we will look at the full clinical picture to see how we can best treat these things, too!  

At Omaha Trauma Therapy, we take a holistic look at the many facets of one’s life, symptoms, and personal history and take all of these factors into consideration to provide our clients with the best treatment options for their needs.

Depression is Hard

Depression affects the brain and the body, and when our brains and bodies are affected, it can be super difficult to see our way clear and come up for air.  While you may not feel that you have the ability to see your way through this or get through it in your own, our expert therapists can see the way out and help people just like you every day.  We will come alongside you and customize a treatment plan specialized specifically for your needs.

Will Medication Be necessary

Depression can be effectively managed with a treatment that includes both therapy and medication, but we will let you and your physician, or a psychiatrist, handle that decision.  However, OTT offers Medication Management Services to evaluate if you might personally benefit from medication. We will support you in getting the best information to make your own decisions in that regard, and we will work with you towards your goals and respect your choices.  You have the right to decide if you want to consider medication or not in your treatment.

There Is Hope

Wouldn't it be amazing to feel better, get your energy back, and engage in life again without the extra heaviness of sadness, darkness, and the defeated feelings of depression? You do not have to go through your depression alone, even if your symptoms make you feel isolated and hopeless.  Help is available.

Omaha Trauma Therapy is skilled at offering many treatment options from DBT and CBT to EMDR.  Each of these options as well as the caring, patient, and client-centered approach that our therapists endorse can help you to get through this season in life.  Let us help you to move into healing with new coping skills, a healthier mindset, and a more relaxed feeling in your body.

You are important, and if you have been struggling with the overwhelming bleakness of depression and the signs and symptoms of sadness, anxiety, stress, or the after effects of trauma or loss, please reach out for help by contacting us here. 

Let us help you get on the road to feeling better so that living doesn't have to feel so hard.

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