Depression: Psychotherapy of San Diego
“Recogniton of the Inescapable Freedom to Choose”
Dr D Psychologist/Philosopher
San Diego, CA
"The thought was so persistent. The process of thinking made me nervous inside. Changed my moods and made such a stress. Oh, if it wasn’t for that thought and the storm it brought...” Dr. Silbert
DEPRESSION:
Negative feelings, thoughts, and behaviors may become overwhelming and interfere with life satisfaction, momentarily and/or pervasively. Depression in today’s society is a term used both by people in general and the medical profession. An individual will often use the word depression as a description of how one feels at any given moment, usually relating it to some kind of loss promoting feelings of being sad, blue, miserable, and powerless to change. The process of mourning and grieving has symptoms of depression. The person who views life as a “glass half empty” may be considered to have a depressive outlook. The description of depression set forth by the medical profession is a mental disorder with clusters of symptoms manifesting for a period of time and interfering with everyday life. People with depressive illnesses do not all experience the same symptoms. The severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms will vary depending on the individual and his or her particular type of depressive illness.
- DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS:
The National Institute of Mental Health’s list of Depressive Symptoms is: - Depression does not manifest in the same way with each person...
- Similar symptoms of depression are experienced in other medical diagnoses of mental illness...
- The medical labels for depression address modern concerns for treatment and research...
- DEPRESSION TREATMENT:
You can't treat the label, but rather the unique individual describing the feelings and telling the story.... - Treatment enables an individual to consciously become aware of the cyclic nature...
- The relational nature of the psychotherapeutic process is paramount in treatment. ...
- Although many problematic scenarios presented by the client ...
- Successful treatment is the collaborative honest effort of communicative exchange...
- ...
- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
- Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness; Irritability, restlessness
- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
- Fatigue and decreased energy
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions; Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
- Overeating or appetite loss
- Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
- Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
Symptoms of depression can manifest over a period of time with a slow progressive disengagement from pleasure and involvement in normal life activities or suddenly appear from a traumatic precipitating event as in the death of a spouse. The severity and duration of the symptoms as well as the degree of distress created in social and occupational functioning are significant hallmarks for the diagnosis of a major depressive disorder.
Dysthymic mood disorder may be diagnosed when the symptoms are milder and longer term. A diagnosis of adjustment disorder with depressed mood results when symptoms appear as a psychological response to an identifiable event or stressor but the resulting emotional or behavioral symptoms are less impactful on occupational and/or social functioning.
The discussion of the nature of depression may be as old as human existence considering the reality and the threat of non-existence of oneself and others of personal significance. Depression is a complex disorder with no single known cause. Rather, it likely results from a combination of personal, familial, genetic, biochemical, sociological, and psychological factors. Modalities of treatment vary depending on the presenting symptoms and goals of each individual. Psychotherapy may be short or longer in duration. If appropriate, a discussion and referral to a medical doctor for a medication consultation will be incorporated in the treatment. Dr. Silbert works with individuals and couples in marital and/or relationship therapy.
Psychotherapy is a process of learning to recognize and resolve internal mental conflict such as self-doubt, fear, guilt, self loathing, and emotional turmoil while promoting self-awareness, self-knowledge, self-confidence, and personal growth. Dr. Silbert’s theoretical framework of practice envelops psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, and hypnotic concepts to lessen and eradicate symptoms of depression, anxiety, fear, stress, anger, dysfunctional behaviors, inappropriate guilt, and feelings of worthlessness and emptiness.
nature of internal thoughts and illogical patterns of thinking about one’s self. This internal mental environment fuels a self-fulfilling prophecy culminating in self-defeating behaviors and dysfunctional relationships. Awareness is the first step in promoting positive internal changes allowing for a healthy relationship with one’s self and with others.
Emotional distress and psychological problems occur in the context of human relationships. Therapy seeks to help the individual understand and become knowledgeable about the conscious and unconscious nature of past relationships and their significance to current emotions and behaviors. Individual patterns of relating are developed in our family of origin as children and adolescents. The tools we learned and used to survive in earlier stages of our lives, with our child psyches, are often no longer effective in our adult environment, creating negative symptoms and haphazard relationships.
have their origin in the past, the psychotherapeutic process focuses primarily on the present and how these dysfunctional patterns are represented currently. Dr. Silbert supports intergenerational consultation with children and/or parents of the client, if deemed appropriate, for enhanced treatment results.
between Dr. Silbert and each client whether seen individually and/or in couple’s or marital therapy. The process of psychotherapy consists of an interchange of ideas in a respectful environment enveloping a core of trust. The therapeutic alliance supports confronting individual symptoms of erratic and often overwhelming emotions, erroneous, fearful and condescending thoughts, and dysfunctional self-defeating behaviors. The experiential process of therapy is the healing necessary for the client to learn to relate to one’s self and others in a more productive, meaningful, authentic, and life affirming stance.
