Depression and HIV

October 2003     View PDF     En español
Reprinted from www.aidsmeds.com, US

Should I seek psychotherapy for depression?

It is emotionally helpful to understand your psychological state and to identify current sources of stress and the influence of your own particular history and conflicts in depression. Therapy helps lessen depression and may prevent its recurrence. Both psychotherapy and support groups provide you with a chance to talk about upsetting feelings, to feel the comfort of being understood, and to alleviate anxiety and depression at times of particular stress.

Psychotherapy is actually a disparate group of techniques designed to improve emotional well being, and usually involve some kind of verbal dialogue between patient and therapist. Because of the broad range of practices described as psychotherapy it is impossible to discuss the use and efficacy of therapy in a brief fashion. Furthermore, because the human mind and emotions are so complex, it is extremely difficult to develop objective measures for judging the utility of therapy. Therapy even within the same “school of thought” varies tremendously from practitioner to practitioner.

Some kinds of therapy currently in use are psychoanalysis, psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy, family and couple therapy, group therapy, cognitive therapy, and behavior therapy. These therapies are based on divergent views of the mind, behavior, and the pathways of change.

A tremendous problem with psychotherapy is the cost. Because it is often an ongoing activity, the fees can mount up. Some insurance policies pay for some therapy, but usually this covers a limited amount of the cost. Some therapy at low-cost or covered by Medicaid is available through clinics (usually associated with hospitals, medical centers, and social service agencies).