What is the best therapy technique for anxiety

Having depressed can make it difficult to function, keep a job and maintain relationships. But treatment-often a combination of medication and psychotherapy-can help people manage their condition and lead meaningful lives.

A mental health professional will evaluate a person’s symptoms and diagnose them. Then, they will recommend the best treatment option.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy that involves learning new ways to think and behave. It can help you overcome depression, anxiety and other emotional problems. It’s one of the most common types of psychotherapy. It’s also an option for people who don’t want to take medications.

CBT helps you identify and change distorted thoughts that may contribute to your depression. These include overgeneralization, all-or-nothing thinking and automatic negative thoughts. It also teaches you to apply practical self-help strategies that will improve your quality of life.

Interpersonal therapy

Interpersonal therapy aims to treat depression by improving the quality of a person’s significant relationships. It is typically administered in one-hour sessions that last for 12 to 16 weeks.

In the first phase, the therapist takes an inventory of important people in the patient’s life. This helps the therapist determine which interpersonal area is likely to be the focus of treatment. For example, a patient who is experiencing grief might be able to find relief through exploring warded-off memories of the deceased.

The therapist then helps the patient understand how their relationship difficulties are related to their symptoms. They then work collaboratively to establish a formulation that defines the remainder of treatment.

Psychodynamic therapy

Psychodynamic therapy is a type of talk therapy that uses a variety of techniques to uncover unconscious thoughts and feelings. It is based on the idea that childhood experiences and past unresolved conflicts influence one’s current relationships and behaviors.

In this type of therapy, therapists listen to their clients and interpret what they say. This can help them identify defense mechanisms that patients may use to avoid distressing feelings or thoughts. For example, a patient might deny feeling frustrated or blame others for their problems.

Psychodynamic therapy can take longer than other types of treatment, but it is effective for many people with depression and anxiety. It also improves life satisfaction and helps people develop better relationships, according to studies.

Medication

Mental health is an important part of overall well-being, and can influence how we think, feel and interact with others. It is also key to relationships, work, and contributing to a community or society.

Serious mental illness can be treated with talk therapy and medication. Medications can change the chemicals in your brain to reduce symptoms, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics. Psychiatrists and psychologists can prescribe these medications. Some primary care doctors may also offer them.

People with mental illnesses need to be understood and given the same care as other medical conditions. They should not be blamed for their condition or made to feel hopeless.

Support groups

Support groups can be an essential component of a mental health treatment plan. Experiencing depression or other mental illness difficulties can be isolating, and talking to others with the same experience can provide comfort and perspective. Support groups can be face-to-face meetings or online communities that offer peer support. The groups can be led by a professional facilitator, such as a therapist, nurse or social worker.

Some support groups focus on specific conditions, such as depression or anxiety, while others may be more general. Most groups are free and many are available online.

Brain-stimulation treatments

For people with severe depression who haven’t responded to medication or one-on-one psychotherapy (talk therapy), a psychiatrist may recommend brain stimulation treatments. These therapies involve stimulating the brain directly with electricity or magnets. The oldest and best-researched treatment is electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT. It’s performed under anesthesia and involves triggering brief, controlled seizures to change the way your brain works.

MUSC’s brain stimulation clinic is the first in South Carolina to offer repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which uses electromagnetic coils that generate pulses of magnetic energy on the scalp. The treatment is painless and is FDA-approved to treat depression, OCD and tinnitus.

Psychiatric hospitalization

Psychiatric hospitals are designed to provide stabilization and rehabilitation for individuals whose symptoms are not well controlled at home or in the community. Patients receive supervised treatment by mental health professionals and are monitored closely. The hospitalization is typically short and focuses on reducing the intensity of the symptoms. It also provides the opportunity to learn coping skills.

Getting hospitalized for a mental illness can feel like a scary thing, especially if it's involuntary. This type of psychiatric care is most often offered for people in danger of harming themselves or others.