It was interesting to see what our poll results were on this topic.  We would expect that many would say seeing a therapist, working with a psychiatrist or both - and that was the case.   What was surprising was that more than 20% felt that online forums and chat rooms were their best option.  Perhaps this shouldn't have been a surprise since our audience was answering this poll online.  A relatively small number of respondents said that participating in a support group was their best option.

It turns out that our preferences for depression treatment are not necessarily the most effective.  For example there are over 200 different types of psychotherapy but only a few have been shown to reliably treat depression.  There are also many different meds that can be prescribed but about a third of us don’t respond to meds.  For the other two thirds it can take six to eight months to find the best prescription drug or drugs.

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In last week's Quick Boost poll we asked about what a therapist has done for you that you found most helpful.  It was interesting to note that they results were about equally divided as you can see below.  The one noteable exception was that no one chose "helped me make better key life decisions".
In my experience with therapists this result shouldn’t surprise us.  Very few seem to specialize in a particular problem (like depression or bipolar disorder) or a specific approach.  Just take a look at online listings for therapists - they almost all seem to cast a broad net.

So how do therapists approach helping us with depression issues?  They are often very eclectic and psychodynamic.  They use what seems appropriate in the moment and they have a strong tendency to want you to have insight about your issues.  They also understand that for you to work with them on a sustained basis you need to feel supported by them.

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Comorbidity is simply the occurrence of two or more illnesses at the same time. Some common illnesses that are comorbid with depression are anxiety disorder or stress, alcohol abuse, pain, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In the case of anxiety disorder it is often comorbid with depression and can cause your depression in the first place. Of course anxiety or stress is also part of the depression experience so greater anxiety is also caused by depression. In addition, the stress we experience as part of depression has a physical impact on our bodies that tends to promote problems like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

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I have to admit that this is not an issue for me personally right now. I have the professionals in place that I need and have been able to keep them for quite a while without any major disruptions. I am, however, well acquainted with the issues around getting the help we need.

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