Major depressive disorder, or MDD for short, is a serious mental health disorder. It can make a person experience extreme lows and lose interest in performing a variety of their regular activities. Treatment is important for those diagnosed with depression. It can improve functionality and quality of life. However, for treatment to be most effective, it’s even more important for a patient and care provider to share treatment goals. You can learn more about depression treatment goals and how they’re essential to productive outcomes below.
What are some of the general goals of depression treatment?
Treatment plans for mental health disorders, like depression, are always created with certain goals in mind. It’s important to get an understanding of the general goals of depression treatment before undergoing treatment. That way, you can fully understand what you’re working toward. Some of the most common goals of treatment include:
- Reduction of symptoms — One of the first goals of depression treatment is to reduce your symptoms. Symptoms can become hard to manage independently. Treatment helps you learn how to manage your symptoms better. A licensed clinical therapist can identify your symptoms and come up with the best course of action for reducing them.
- Remission of symptoms — Some patients see such positive results from treatment that their symptoms disappear completely or almost completely. A licensed clinical therapist will work with you in an effort to reduce or eliminate your symptoms for as long as possible.
- Better quality of life — Depression symptoms can negatively impact the quality of your life, making you feel unsatisfied with your ability to cope with the world around you. Therapy and other mental health treatments can ease your symptoms. They can teach you coping skills so that your quality of life can improve.
- Reduce chances of recurrence — During treatment for depression, you will learn how you can avoid relapsing into a depressive episode and what you can do to manage your symptoms.
- Improve daily function — An additional goal of treatment for depression is to help you become better at functioning each day. Many people struggling with depression have difficulty managing their home, work, school and social lives. Mental health treatment can help you become more confident in managing each of these spheres.
- Help cope with triggers — Most people struggling with depression have several kinds of triggers. Mental health treatment can help you learn how to identify and address your unique triggers. Over time, the goal is to help you become less affected by certain environments or circumstances.
What are some types of depression treatment that can help you reach these goals?
Now you know some of the general goals of treatment for depression. You’re probably also interested in learning how these goals can be achieved. Most mental health professionals will strive to achieve these goals by creating treatment plans that include one or more of the following:
- TMS therapy — Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy is a type of brain stimulation therapy, used most frequently for patients with treatment-resistant depression. TMS therapy involves sending magnetic pulses to specific areas of the brain. These magnetic pulses then stimulate areas of low brain activity, with the goal of reducing depression symptoms.
- Talk therapy — Talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy, is one of the most common methods of treatment for a variety of mental health disorders. There are a number of evidence-based therapies that are used by professionals to strategically treat patients during talk therapy sessions. One of the most common is called cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Antidepressants — Antidepressants may prove effective for some patients, while others don’t see many significant results.
Struggling with your depression treatment? Allow Active Path Mental Health to guide you in the right direction
Major depressive disorder can leave you feeling as if you have little to no control over your disorder and its symptoms. Pair it with resistance to traditional modes of treatment, and the result is feeling even more overwhelmed. Fortunately, you can improve your quality of life, personal relationships and everyday functioning with help from Active Path Mental Health. We can help you manage your symptoms with treatment. We provide treatment methods including TMS therapy and talk therapy. With us, you’ll get the help you need to start looking forward to a better future.
Active Path Mental Health is proud to say that patients can receive treatment from locations in both Oregon and Washington. The team members at each one of our locations are dedicated to helping patients recover from their mental health disorders. But don’t just take it from us, take it from our patient reviews.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
