In many cases, you can receive a great deal of help from therapy even if you don’t require a psychiatric medication. You don’t even have to have a psychological disorder to benefit from therapy. Psychotherapy gives people a safe, confidential, nonjudgmental place to learn new tools to make their lives more consistent with their desires and values, goals, and aspirations.
Psychotherapy also helps people adjust when they are faced with significant and difficult changes in their lives. The death of a loved one, a divorce, and job loss are common examples of transitional situations that challenge a person’s ability to cope with emotional stress. Events like these can be sudden and chaotic, with a lot of uncertainty. They bring with them a tremendous amount of emotional pain coupled with the need to learn a new way to live. Therapy is an ideal way to learn to manage such a new and often disconcerting situation.
However, mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder have biological roots, just like diabetes or high blood pressure. They typically require lifelong medication for a person to recover fully. However, research has consistently shown that medication coupled with psychotherapy has better outcomes in treating bipolar disorder, major depression, panic disorder, and OCD than either medication or therapy alone.[1]
Situational stresses of course can become overwhelming quickly when a person is already trying to cope with a psychological disorder. As you might expect, a person with major depression has treatment needs that become more complex when experiencing a major life change, like those mentioned above. In other words, people may have major depression due to the complex biological issues associated with that disorder, then experience a trauma, such as a divorce or loss of a loved one. Medication becomes necessary to treat the neurological issues that contribute to major depression in this case, while therapy can help an individual learn to manage the emotional stress that comes from the divorce, as well as that arising from living with depression.
In time, everyone experiences the loss of a loved one, big changes in a relationship, or any number of situations that can all pile on the stress. A professional therapist helps people straighten out the emotions that obscure the way forward.
We’re living in very challenging times. If you’re looking for professional support to help you cope, Damaris Aragon, ARNP, BC provides a full spectrum of mental health care to people in Spokane, Washington, and surrounding areas. She focuses on providing personalized, compassionate care that adheres to current evidence-based standards. Reach out to Damaris through her contact page or calling 509-342-6592.
