Therapy for Depression
Depression is very common–nearly 30 million Americans suffer from depression. Typically someone who has depression will report sadness, pessimism, feelings of worthlessness, low energy and a lack of pleasure in daily life. There are several different types of depression: major depression, dysthymia (chronic low-grade depression), seasonal affective disorder, and adjustment disorders. Depression may develop in response to significant life events, such as the death of a family member or friend, financial or work difficulties. Chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, AIDS or Parkinsons disease may also lead to depression.
Symptoms of Depression
No two people experience depression in the same exact way. Symptoms of depression include fatigue, low self esteem, appetite changes, poor concentration, insomnia or excessive sleeping, irritability and sadness. Depression can be a challenging illness to live with, but there are some excellent treatment options available. You don’t have to go through depression alone. Depression can be treated. Dr. Chloe is available to support you as you work to leave depression behind.
Treatments for Depression
Dr. Chloe is well versed in many types of therapies for treating depression including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal therapy and Mindfulness meditation. There are many other types of therapies that may be appropriate for any given patient, and Dr. Chloe will tailor the therapy for your unique needs. Please note that Dr. Chloe's office does not treat depression that involves thoughts of physical harm to self or others; or depression that involves any thoughts of suicide. If you're in any danger of harming yourself, you should call 911. If you simply want to talk to a therapist about depression that involves thoughts of self harm with no intention to act on the thoughts, make sure you see a specialist with training in this area. Consider Columbia Psychiatry or Mount Sinai St. Luke's.
Types of Treatment
With some patients, Dr. Chloe uses mindfulness meditation to facilitate the healing process. Mindfulness meditation provides a way of working with emotions at a very deep level. Dr. Chloe has developed three phases of using mindfulness meditation in the context of psychotherapy:
Recognition-The first phase, in which you learn to become aware of your negative thoughts and destructive patterns of thinking at a very deep level. In this phase, you will use Mindfulness meditation to gain awareness of your thought processes and feelings. This enables you to track what is going on, and sets the stage for the second phase.
Change-The second phase involves letting go of old habits and incorporating new ideas where you deliberately attemt to try new ways of thinking about things in a way that is designed to reduce depression. Dr. Chloe will guide you to develop new ways of thinking that are geared towards the problematic patterns identified in the Recognition Phase. You will continue to build awareness and reflect as you begin a process of change, and Dr. Chloe will be there to support you as you adopt new ways of thinking.
Resolution-In the third phase, the Resolution phase, we’ll explore how the new ways of thinking are fitting in with your lifestyle. In practice, this is a very in-depth look at the way your thoughts evolved so that you can continue to pay attention to them and maintain therapeutic gains. You may find that once you have depression under control, you want to keep working in therapy to make gains in other areas, or you may decide your time in therapy is complete. Dr. Chloe respects your choice to have either short-term counseling or ongoing therapy.
Dr. Chloe also works with other forms of meditation in addition to mindfulness meditation, and she has found meditation to be a very helpful adjunct to traditional psychotherapy.
Contact Dr. Chloe for Help Today!
Whether you are interested in cognitive-behavioral therapy, meditation, or open-ended talk therapy for depression, Dr. Chloe is a good choice because she has training and experience with all of these modalities. Dr. Chloe has lectured on depression in her work as a professor and instructor at Long Island University and the City University of New York. She has also treated a wide range of patients with depression, from moderate to severe. She has worked successfully with very depressed patients on inpatient units at Lenox Hill Hospital and Kings County Hospital, as well as with patients who are successful executives that struggle with depression. Dr. Chloe has the training and experience to treat depression.
The most important thing to know about depression is that help is available. If you or a loved one is suffering from depression, please contact Dr. Chloe or another licensed therapist for help. There is no need to suffer from depression alone. If you have questions about therapy or would like to schedule an appointment, Dr. Chloe can help. See below for some additional depression resources.