According to WHO, more than 264 million people worldwide suffer from some sort of depression. That said, the case is not very different in the country. Approximately 17.3 million of the adult population suffers from depression. It is a commonly known fact that depression can have severe repercussions on the patient’s mental health, thus needing an immediate treatment plan.

With correct diagnosis and treatment, even the most severe forms of depression can be treated and managed. Let us take a look at some of the types of therapy that can help with depression.

1. Talk therapy
Also called psychotherapy, this is one of the most commonly advocated therapies of depression and is effective for temporary and mild depression. Even severe forms of depression can be helped with talk therapy when combined with medication under the guidance of a medical practitioner. Talking with a trained therapist about your problems plays a significant role in helping identify the patterns of behavior or thoughts that contribute to depression. A trained therapist will listen to you and give you some homework like making a diary to note down your moods. The therapist will also tell you to follow some exercise routines to reduce anxiety and depression.

2. Behavioral therapy
This therapy comes into use when the objective is to treat present problems and come up with ways to change them. In this therapy, the therapist will try to change any unhealthy or dangerous habits that may be exacerbating the depression. The basic idea behind this therapy is that since all depression-causing behaviors are acquired, a conscious effort to change them will help people come out of their depression.

3. Cognitive therapy
In this therapy, the aim is to identify the negative emotions and thoughts that can increase depression. Once the therapist identifies this, the next aim is to help patients turn these emotions and thoughts into productive thoughts and emotions. It is a short therapy and will be between six weeks to four months.

4. Cognitive behavioral therapy
Psychotherapy is a popular treatment for depression, and cognitive behavior therapy is one type of psychotherapy. As it is evident from its name, this is a combination of cognitive and behavior therapy where the therapist aims to address both the negative thoughts and emotions as well as behavior that aggravate depression.

The above-mentioned therapies are some of the common psychotherapy methods that can help with depression. With a growing number of people suffering from depression, the need of the hour is to identify depression at the earliest and get professional help to treat it at the earliest. With proper treatment, the prognosis for depression – especially temporary or mild – is quite encouraging.