Behavioral Therapy for Depression: Managing Depression Through Behavioral Therapy

Managing depression through behavioral therapy is nothing new. In fact its roots can be traced back to perhaps the most influential of all behavior-reward based research affectionately referred to as Pavlov’s dog. Rest assured that your behavioral therapist will not place you in a chair and ask you to look at pictures of food all day long, while observing when you start to drool, as you ring the bell for more pictures.  Without a doubt this method has come a long way since that time and evolved into one of the most enduring forms of depression management therapy. 

Behavioral therapy is an observational based approach. Things, that are not easily seen, such as unconscious thoughts, are not important to the behavioral therapist. The focus of the treatment is on the present. Therapists specializing in this field have little interest in helping you understand what caused your problem. Think of it this way, lets say you have a tire that must be replaced, what your interested in is getting your tire fixed so you can conduct your business and run your errands, rather than having the tire guy present you with an eight page thesis as to why the tire is no longer suitable for the road. 

Your first treatment session will likely begin with your therapist asking you a virtual cornucopia of probing questions about you depression; such as how long you have been depressed, how long it last, and have you noticed a recurring cause that seems to trigger either an onset or an escalation. When answers start to appear, your psychotherapist will generally recommend a treatment plan and ask you if you are up to the challenge. 

The goal of behavioral therapy for depression is fairly straightforward; to teach you new depression busting skills and new ways to change long existing, dysfunctional habits that ultimately will help you manage/cure your depression. Unlike normal psychotherapy behavioral therapy will include a great deal of homework and record keeping. You will be required to keep a record of your behaviors during the week along with playing the role of the patient observer by running mini experiments in your daily life.

The methods used in behavioral therapy quite often include training in communication skills, breathing and/or relaxation exercises, and role playing to learn new social skills.

In summary, behavioral therapy for depression is not the cold mechanical clinical approach many of its critics want you to believe and certainly considered to be one of the best non prescription alternatives available.

Additionally, some have achieved dominance over their depression by combining behavioral therapy with herbal remedies for depression. This combination, which sidesteps the side effect associated with prescription drugs, has proven to be a very effective way of managing depressive symptoms and certainly is a one two punch worth considering.

Therapy Works – A spoof taking aim at how we often view ourselves and what lengths we go to trying to find explanations for our insecurities and fears.