Depression Treatment

A mood is a prolonged emotion, such as elation or depression, which affects thoughts, feelings, and judgment.

Two Major Groups of Mood Disorders

Depression
This includes major depression; dysthymia, which also is referred to as chronic depression; a combination of the two, where major depression intermittently occurs for a person who struggles with chronic dysthymia (also called double depression); and depression caused by medical or substance use disorders.

Bipolar Disorder
This condition is commonly referred to as manic depression and is characterized by extreme mood swings ranging from the "highs and lows" of mania to depression. This group includes bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymic disorders, and mania caused by medical and substance use disorders.

Without treatment, 15% of people affected by bipolar disorder or depression will commit suicide, and the risk increases if a person also struggles with a chemical addiction. With bipolar or depression treatment, the majority of those affected will fully recover.

Research confirms the effectiveness of bipolar and depression treatments in reducing the pain and suffering of depression. Successful bipolar and depression treatments remove the symptoms and restore the person's ability to cope with life.

The earlier a person seeks depression treatment, the sooner he or she will begin to feel better. As with other medical illnesses, the longer the symptoms are present before a person seeks depression treatment, the more difficult it can be to treat. In fact, most people who receive depression treatment feel better and return to daily activities in several weeks. Because it takes several weeks for depression treatment to work fully, it is important to seek depression treatment early before symptoms gets worse.

It is estimated that up to 40% of people with major depression also struggle with a co-occurring substance use disorder, and up to 60% of people with bipolar disorder also struggle with co-occurring substance abuse diagnoses. Co-occurrence can occur because of self medication (using alcohol or drugs in an attempt to feel better). In other cases, a mood disorder may occur because of body damage done by long term substance use or abuse. There also are many cases where both disorders co-exist because of different genetic, social, and biochemical factors.

Regardless of their cause, bipolar or depression treatment should be coordinated and integrated with addictions treatment. For more information about our integrated addiction with bipolar and depression treatment programs, click here. To obtain a free, confidential consultation, click here.