Orlando Depression Counseling & Therapy

GroundWork Counseling in Orlando specializes in evidence-based CBT for depression. Although everyone can feel irritable, sad, down or depressed for a few days or a week, when things remain this way for an extended period of time or begin to worsen, our Orlando depression counselors suggest that a more serious problem may be the issue, and a reason to seek counseling. Some people with depression may continuously ruminate about negative beliefs or worries and they may need help getting these painful thoughts to stop. Depression can affect individuals, women, adolescents, and children.

Although sometimes just having someone listen shifts a feeling of hopelessness to hopefulness, recommended treatment options for depression typically include a combination of medication and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). However, in the case of individuals with mild or moderate major depression, CBT by itself has repeatedly been shown to help. However, fewer than 20% of individuals looking for help for depression disorders receive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), the most established evidence-based treatment for depression.

GroundWork Counseling’s depression therapists utilize cognitive behavioral therapy when working with their clients. A depression therapist and client work together to identify the distorted negative thinking that causes negative emotions. They then question the accuracy of these thoughts and come up with healthier, more balanced thoughts. GroundWork Counseling’s Orlando depression counselors, therapist and Psychologists help the client to assess how his/her different daily activities affect the client’s mood and how changing some of them can work to improve symptoms of depression. Typically, the depression therapist will help her client to develop an action plan, based on the behavioral activation approach.

Types of Depression

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) classifies Depressive Disorders as follows:

Persistent Depressive Disorder.

Persistent Depressive Disorder was previously known as Dysthymic Disorder or Dysthymia, and was renamed in the DSM-5. The primary characteristics of persistent depressive disorder is a depressed mood that appears for most of the day, for more days than not, and lasts for at least 2 years and lasts at least 1 year for children and teenagers. People who suffer with persistent depressive disorder typically describe their mood as sad or feeling down in the dumps and they have at least two of the following symptoms:

• Feeling hopeless
• Low energy
• Low self-esteem
• Difficulty sleeping or excessive sleepiness
• Overeating or poor appetite
• Difficulty making decisions or poor concentration

Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder (also known as clinical depression or major depression) is a chronic illness characterized by episodes that remit and may reoccur. According to the DSM-5 an episode of Major Depressive Disorder may be diagnosed if an individual exhibits five of the nine symptoms described below and the symptoms have persisted for two weeks or more:

• Feeling tired, unmotivated
• Feelings of hopelessness, sadness or emptiness
• Diminished pleasure in activities
• Short tempered or irritable
• Self critical, feelings of guilt or worthlessness
• Insomnia, poor sleeping patterns
• Loss of appetite or increase in appetite resulting in significant weight loss or gain
• Diminished ability to concentrate
• Thoughts of suicide

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) may be diagnosed if a child is chronically irritable. This irritability is typically displayed as temper tantrums and temper outburst and occurs at least three times per week and these outbursts and tantrums are very much out of proportion to the situation. When the child isn’t having an outburst or tantrum, he or she is in an irritable, cranky mood nearly every day. The DSM-5 states that the symptoms must be present for at least a year and cannot subside for more than three months. The symptoms must also be present in at least two settings (such as at home and in school) and must be severe in at least one setting.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder 

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is characterized by mood swings, irritability, depression and anxiety symptoms that take place during the premenstrual phase of the cycle and stop around the onset of a woman’s period, or shortly thereafter. The DSM-5 states that five of the symptoms listed below must be present during the week before menses begins and begin to improve during the onset of menses:

• Mood swings
• Irritability or anger
• Depressed mood, feeling hopeless
• Anxious and tense
• Decreased interest in pleasurable activities
• Difficulty concentrating
• Lack of energy
• Change in appetite
• Insomnia, sleepiness
• Physical symptoms (bloating, breast tenderness, joint or muscle pain)

How CBT Can Help

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for depression without the use of medication. CBT is a type of psychotherapy that helps individuals identify unhealthy patterns of thinking and behavior and develop skills to modify them. Through this process, people can be better equipped to manage their negative thoughts and emotions related to depression. It helps people understand how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact in order to improve their overall mental health and well-being. CBT can also help individuals recognize the connection between their thought patterns and behavior, as well as identify any unhelpful reactions which may contribute to depression. Through this understanding, people can more effectively address their symptoms of depression without relying on medication. With the help of a CBT therapist, individuals can learn to manage their depression symptoms, often without the use of medication.