Negative Thoughts & Depression
Negative thoughts get in the way of clear thinking. A depressed person has so many negative thoughts, and they come automatically by the way, that his or her view of the world becomes distorted. Instead of seeing things realistically for what they really are, he or she attributes his or her own bad luck or inadequacy for life events that don’t go well. Depression therapy helps the person see the world more clearly and to correct those automatic negative thoughts.
If your thoughts are bringing you down on a regular basis and negatively affecting your life, you might want to learn about the different types of depression therapy. The most common method is cognitive therapy for depression.
Depression therapy aims to cure deeply negative thoughts a person might have. Of course we all have negative thoughts from time to time, but someone who is depressed will have extremely negative thoughts that are usually the result of strong yet misguided beliefs. Usually these beliefs are along the lines of personal doom and failure, in the sense that a person thinks he will always fail, or is doomed to have bad luck or always be unhappy.
Cognitive Therapy
When someone scrutinizes the negative thoughts and learns why they are happening, depression can be overcome. This is the basis for the most common type of depression therapy, and it’s called cognitive therapy for depression. The patient essentially learns to challenge the deeply negative thoughts. When this is successfully achieved, the patient can see more clearly.
When negative thoughts take over your brain they can skew the way you see the world. Soon, your version of reality becomes distorted and daily life is even more difficult than it already was. Cognitive therapy for depression trains a person to counter the negative thoughts with a more realistic view of things.
A depressed person might have many negative thoughts running through his or her brain, and these thoughts pup up without reason. There might even be a tiny bit of truth in them, but they are greatly exaggerated by the depressed brain, which focuses on negativity and holds onto it very tightly.
If a person can recognize when the brain is automatically outputting all those negative thoughts then he or she can challenge the thoughts with reality. If a person thinks he or she always fails at everything, maybe if he or she thinks about it, it will actually prove not so true.
Challenging your own brain pretty much describes Cognitive Therapy for depression in a nutshell. Making small changes in thinking over a long period of time works very will in most cases, according to doctors.
If you are undergoing Cognitive Therapy for depression, you will find yourself talking with a therapist and learning how to combat the skewed, negative thoughts your brain is sending you in error. You will be acquiring mental tools to retrain your brain so you can see things realistically again.
Light Therapy
This is for people suffering a specific type of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). People with SAD become depressed every Fall or Winter. By sitting under a light that mimics natural outdoor light, some people improve from light therapy for depression.
Depression comes in many forms, and one of them is caused by seasons. When Fall and Winter hit, there is less sun…that’s a scientific fact. Shorter days and less sunlight makes some people depressed, and by sitting under a light that mimics natural outdoor light, their symptoms improve. In a nutshell, that is light therapy for depression.
There haven’t been extensive medical studies done on the efficacy of light therapy for depression, but the body of knowledge is growing. A New York Times article cites a new study that suggests light therapy for depression works quite well.
Light therapy for depression involves sitting near a light box that’s not quite as bright as sunlight but brighter than an ordinary light bulb. This is done for a set period of time per day.
Shock Therapy
Also called Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), this is a treatment that involves sending electric currents into the brain in order to trigger a short seizure. This seems to change brain chemistry and can reverse symptoms of depression and other mental illness.
Magnetic Therapy
Another non-chemical treatment for depression, magnetic therapy for depression involves magnetic fields to stimulate the brain. This sometimes leads to improvement of depression.
Belinda Mills writes articles on personal health and finance. More of her articles can bee seen at www.irs-easy.com
