Non-Residential Depression Treatments
Outpatient treatment for depression might be a good option for those who have mild to moderate depression. However, it is not recommended for those with severe depression. It can also be dangerous for people with suicidal ideation. If you’re thinking about depression treatment, it’s important to be honest about the seriousness of your depression. You’ll likely want to discuss any options with your doctor. Talking them over with a mental health professional could also give you insight into the safest decision for you. Here’s an overview of what choices are available for treating depression.
What is Outpatient Care?
Outpatient care means that the patient doesn’t live at the facility where they receive care. They are able to stay in their own home. Meanwhile, they go to the outpatient therapy facility during the day. Outpatient care can take place many days during the week, for several hours. It can also be done for shorter periods of time, less often. What level of care you require should be determined by working with a mental health professional.
Should You Use Outpatient Treatment?
This is the most important part of selecting how to treat your depression. This is because depression is a fatal disease. If your depression is severe, you’re better off with inpatient care. Inpatient care allows you to focus all your energy on healing. Afterwards you can use outpatient care to manage your depression. Here’s a few questions to ask to determine whether your depression is severe:
- Do I often think about killing myself or anyone else?
- Have I tried to kill myself in the past?
- Do I engage in any self-harm, such as cutting, starvation or hitting myself?
- Does my doctor and/or therapist think I need inpatient care?
- Have outpatient depression treatments not worked for me in the past?
- Am I overwhelmed?
- Do I feel crazy, out of control or dangerous at times?
- Do I have substance abuse issues, in addition to depression?
If the answer to any of these is “Yes” you’re probably not a good candidate for outpatient care. You would likely benefit most from inpatient care to help you reach stability. Then, outpatient care will be a much more helpful option. Before you decide on a depression treatment, you need to honestly discuss how you feel and what you think with a therapist. It is also helpful to speak with your doctor. The road to recovery from depression is long and difficult. This means if you’re considering harming yourself or someone else, those thoughts could get worse before they get better. Talk to a healthcare professional to decide whether outpatient care can work for you.
Common Treatments for Depression
There’s a variety of outpatient treatments that can be used to manage depression. These can be used alone or combined:
- Therapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and/or psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy.
- Antidepressant medication.
- An exercise routine.
- Support groups.
- Antipsychotics may be necessary in the case of bipolar depression.
- Alternative therapies such as electroconvulsive therapy or transcranial magnetic stimulation.
New therapies are emerging all the time, so this list is far from complete. In fact, one of the best ways to manage depression is to be open to new ideas.
How to Select the Right Treatment
In order to find the right treatment, you’re going to need help. This is where having a good support team is priceless. When you have a therapist you trust, along with a quality doctor and/or psychiatrist, they can help you find the best way to treat your depression. The problem with most mental health care is you can’t know if something will work until you try it. This means trial and error. Which is frustrating. You can feel like nothing is helping. Thus, you might give up on treatment altogether before you find the right combination. Once you begin the process, it’s best to keep going. This is especially true if you use medication. Since many antidepressants take several weeks to work, you may find yourself spending months trying to find the right medicine at the right dosage for you.
If You Need Help
The sooner you start the process of treating your depression, the sooner you can take joy in life again. Most people who struggle with depression are amazed at how happy they can be with the right treatment. Luckily, there is help available. We have a huge number of treatment options available that can aid with depression. Our staff is trained to administer talk therapy. They facilitate group therapy sessions. They even use alternative therapies such as adventure and music therapy to help you find the path to heal yourself. Don’t let depression win. Happiness and fulfillment are possible. Give us a call today and we’ll begin helping you find the right outpatient therapy to fit your life and manage your depression.