How Psychotherapy Helps Depression

A recent Dutch study was intended to explore whether psychotherapy can be helpful for treatment the symptoms of depression in diabetics. Because the study was randomized and controlled, a number of respected journalists have pointed to the study as good strong evidence of the efficacy of psychotherapy for depression:

Results revealed that both MBCT and CBT have persistent beneficial impact on depressive symptomatology and related symptoms, validating the evidence from previous researches regarding the long-term clinical outcomes of either MBCT or CBT.

Both psychotherapy methods (MBCT and CBT) are effective in treating depressive symptoms in a variety of clinical populations.

Although the study only focused on two modalities: MBCT, or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy; and CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, it nonetheless showed strong value in the notion that depression can be treated with talking rather than through medications alone. Psychoanalytic, or psychodynamic therapy, wasn’t included in the study, but we know from similar research that all modalities tend to show something close to parity over short time frames when it comes to issues of depression.

Analytic therapy can also produce longer results that are slower and therefore harder to measure, partly because psychotherapy resists easy quantification. Yet we know that therapy designed to treat the root causes of depression can result in lasting relief, especially in individuals who don’t show a genetic or neurochemical predisposition to hopelessness.

Our depression therapy experts are among the finest therapists in New York, and our extensive training courses have developed top-rated Boston counselors, Philadelphia psychotherapists, and many more professionals. To begin speaking with an experienced analytic therapist today, contact PPSC.

All in Your Mind: Psychotherapy for Medical Problems

It’s no secret that the mind is part of the body, and that symptoms such as stress and anxiety can have a real and immediate effect on your physical wellbeing. Anyone who has ever felt nauseous with dread, or sleepless with shame, knows too well that the things we feel can influence the way we…well, feel. So it is perhaps no surprise that talk therapy aimed at resolving emotional issues can have an effect on the body as well. This recent article offers a digest version of the numerous ways that psychotherapy can help relieve bodily symptoms, including such diverse problems as IBS, chronic pain, even headaches:

Another recent study, reported in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics, found that a brief course of psychodynamic psychotherapy might be more effective than standard care in treating migraines and tension headaches in children.

If you find yourself feeling sluggish, fuzzy-headed, or without an appetite, you may be able to benefit from depression therapy or anxiety therapy here in New York. Contact the psychoanalytic experts at PPSC to learn more about how you can improve your health by improving your mental health.

The Power of Psychotherapy for Depression

It is no surprise to those of us who work as psychotherapists that real and substantive changes often result from talk therapy. Often these are subjective and self-reported, which can make it difficult for researchers to verify the many positive effects of psychotherapy. Now a new study has attempted to do just that, quantifying patient responses to a set of emotionally resonant questions by peering inside brain scans to detect levels of activity associated with strong mood swings.

The results were clear: psychotherapy shows a strong and beneficial effect, without any need for drugs or medical intervention:

Psychotherapy, the researchers explained, helps patients accept and gain insight into their dysfunctional relations, and as a result, patients do not become emotionally aroused when they are forced to confront their so-called “issues.” For anyone suffering depression, this study validates the benefits of drug-less psychotherapy. Going forward, the researchers expect to report a second follow-up study after 20 months of treatment.

Dealing with depression through counseling is a commonly accepted approach, and one that many millions of people have successfully undertaken in the last century. Here at PPSC, we offer depression therapy for patients that helps them understand the root issues and patterns that give rise to despairing thoughts. If you’d like to find expert analytic therapy today, contact us here.