Major Depression

Major Depression - Best-Practice Intervention Strategies*

• Develop and practice healthy stress management and coping skills
• Develop and practice healthy problem-solving and communication skills (Including how to effectively negotiate and compromise)
• Develop and practice healthy ways to monitor and control impulses
• Identify the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions
• Identify and replace cognitive distortions and negative self-talk (avoid all-or-nothing, black-or-white, and catastrophic patterns of thinking)
• Develop and practice a routine of physical exercise, activity, and social involvement
• Identify, verbalize, and address any unresolved grief or loss issues
• Acknowledge the presence of any self-harm thoughts or suicidal thoughts and develop a personal safety plan to avoid acting on them (suicide is among the three leading causes of death for people ages 15-44)
• Participate in a psychiatric evaluation and take all prescribed medications as instructed
• Rule out other psychiatric disorders (e.g., grief reaction, personality disorders, Dysthymia)
• Rule out medical disorders (e.g., hypothyroidism)
• Rule out depression-inducing medications (e.g., steroids)
• Rule out Substance Use Disorder

* Compiled by Cenpatico from multiple sources; citations available upon request.
Last Updated 1/27/11