APA Help Center - Health & Emotional Wellness - "How Psychotherapy Helps People Recover From Depression"

APA Help Center - Health & Emotional Wellness - "How Psychotherapy Helps People Recover From Depression": "How Psychotherapy Helps People Recover From Depression

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 18.8 million adult Americans suffer from depression during any one-year period. Many do not even recognize that they have a condition that can be treated very effectively. This question-and-answer fact sheet discusses depression with a focus on how psychotherapy can help a depressed person recover.

How does depression differ from occasional sadness?

Everyone feels sad or 'blue' on occasion. Most people grieve over upsetting life experiences such as a major illness, loss of a job, a death in the family, or a divorce. These feelings of grief tend to become less intense on their own as time goes on.

Depression occurs when feelings of extreme sadness or despair last for at least two weeks or longer and when they interfere with activities of daily living such as working or even eating and sleeping. Depressed individuals tend to feel helpless and hopeless and to blame themselves for having these feelings. Some may have thoughts of death or suicide."

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posted by Robert Heard at 8:15 AM