While medication is really important in the effective treatment of depression, supportive psychotherapy may also be helpful. It’s not unusual for older people that are depressed to resist the thought of psychotherapy. You may not “believe in” psychotherapy as a means to resolve your problems.
Depression
You might feel uneasy about discussing such personal, private things with a stranger. Or, if you are extremely depressed, you may simply find it hard to muster enough energy to find a therapist. But psychotherapy, which entails regular sessions of listening and talking to a therapist over a period of months, is very helpful in treating depression for a lot of reasons. For example, you might tend to put your own achievements while at the exact same time you exaggerate how successful and happy different men and women are.
You’ll be encouraged to understand these patterns in relation to your life experiences, including your childhood and your relationship with your loved ones. This can relieve guilt and help you get started thinking more positively and realistically. Psychotherapy can help you solve current conflicts and problems that could be contributing to your depression.
For instance, you might be having financial or family difficulties, or maybe you’re experiencing stress because of retirement, chronic illness or the death of a partner. Finally, psychotherapy can help you handle the negative psychological effects of depressive illness. If you have been depressed, it is not unusual to feel a sense of guilt and worthlessness. You may believe you have let other people down by getting sick, and you may worry that your life won’t ever be the same. Just talking about these feelings with a supportive, knowledgeable therapist can be an excellent relief. Psychotherapy can take many forms and occur in various settings. Sometimes, a partner or other family members might be invited to attend.
Comfort
It’s imperative that you find a therapist with whom you feel comfortable, or else treatment won’t succeed. Your therapist should be somebody who’s experienced in treating elderly people and who’s sensitive to issues which are more likely to arise later in life. Just as you might need to try more than one antidepressant medication before finding the one that is right for you, you might also need to try more than 1 kind of therapist or therapy. You also need to be patient when it comes to psychotherapy. The procedure for self-discovery and change is usually slow.
Final note
Many depressed men and women notice that psychotherapy “starts to function” at around the same time as their antidepressant medication begins to kick in. As you begin to feel better emotionally and physically, you’ll end up taking a more active part in your psychotherapy.
