Depression Treatment in Houston

Major depressive disorder is a mood disorder that affects emotions, motivation, sleep, concentration, and functioning. It is more than sadness and often requires structured treatment. If you have ongoing symptoms, a clinical assessment can clarify needs and options.

A depressive episode is a period where an individual will experience low moods, loss of interest in activities, difficulty concentrating or performing activities of daily living, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, emptiness, and possibly experience suicidal thoughts or ideations.

It is important to understand that a depressive episode can be severe and lead to fatal consequences. If you or a loved one express thoughts of suicide, immediate evaluation is necessary. Do not wait.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or Clinical Depression is a mood disorder that causes feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and apathy that become unrelenting. Major Depressive Disorder can be all-consuming, affecting how an individual thinks, feels, and behaves in daily life. This is among the most dangerous mental health disorders and must be addressed by a specialized treatment team.

An acute mental health crisis requires the attention of a mental health professional.

Depression has an effect on the whole person and can lead to heart disease, chronic pain, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems, inflammation, weight loss or gain, and sexual health problems as well as the potential to worsen current health conditions.

Those with depression disorders are also at risk for co-occurring disorders/dual diagnosis, wherein the person turns to substance use to manage mental health symptoms and develops an addiction. Substance use and depression can exacerbate one another and worsen the person’s overall condition.

Depression comes with a high risk of suicide attempts. If you or a loved one are having recurring thoughts about self-harm or making plans to end one’s life, call 911.

There is no singular type of therapy that is a cure-all for depression. The best therapy for depression is the one that works for you as an individual. You may find that you benefit more from talk therapies such as dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), whereas others may find that Neurofeedback, EMDR, or Equine Therapy are a better fit.

At The Heights, your treatment team will work closely with you to ensure that your therapies are conducive to your recovery and that you are healing holistically using a number of evidence-based modalities.

The right level (IIP, PHP, IOP, or OP) depends on symptom severity, safety, daily functioning, relapse history, and co-occurring conditions. You can explore our outpatient model here: Houston Addiction & Mental Health Rehab.

Everyone’s depression recovery journey is different. Some individuals may see the symptoms of their depression alleviate in a few weeks or months, while others take longer to recover. For many people, long term mental and behavioral health treatment is needed.

Often, yes. Depression can co-occur with anxiety, trauma responses, or substance use used to numb symptoms. Treating co-occurring drivers is essential to reduce relapse risk and improve stability. Family support is available here: Family Support.

While some evidence exists that mental illness may be hereditary, a diagnosis of depression among family members is not guaranteed. However, there are environmental factors that contribute to more than one depression diagnosis in a single family such as if a family unit suffers a traumatic experience or multiple children experience abuse.

In past years, the stigma surrounding mental healthcare was stronger than it is today. This stigma still exists, but younger generations have begun normalizing the need for mental healthcare. This shift in the narrative surrounding depression and other mental disorders has resulted in more people–from children to adolescents to young adults to older adults–feeling more confident in their decision to seek treatment.

Medication to treat the symptoms of depression is available, but is not always necessary. Many people opt to partake in psychotherapy to treat depression and choose not to take medication and make a full recovery. Other individuals, however, choose to take depression medications as part of their recovery.

There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to taking medication for your depression. There is still a stigma surrounding relying on medications, however, it is not shameful to use a prescription for stabilization of your mental health symptoms while you treat the underlying causes in therapy.

If there is an immediate emergency, call 911. If you are concerned about suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 in the U.S. for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.