Treatment for Adolescents with Depression
The Adolescent Depression Program at CUCARD offers state of the art cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents coping with depressive symptoms. In our program adolescents receive short-term individual weekly cognitive behavioral therapy.
During this program adolescents learn how to:
• Understand the nature of depression
• Identify triggers to their sad and depressed feelings
• Connect their feelings with their thoughts and actions
• Correct distorted thinking
• Engage in activities that increase pleasurable feeling (Behavioral activation)
• Communicate with parents effectively
• Change maladaptive behaviors
During therapy, the adolescent and therapist collaborate to identify and change customary errors in thinking that are associated with depression. Depressed adolescents often experience distorted thoughts about themselves (e.g. I am dumb), their surroundings (e.g. My life is terrible) and their future (e.g. There is no point to try, nothing works out for me).
These distorted statements are challenged in a supportive manner through using information from the adolescent’s current experience, past history, and future opportunities. In addition to self-critical cognitions, adolescents with depression typically cut back on activities that may be enjoyable to them, because they think that such activities will not be worth their effort. Unfortunately this usually results in an unfortunate cycle, wherein the adolescent’s depressed mood lead them to seek out less activities, which then make him/her feel more depressed.
The second component of the program, behavioral activation, attempts to alter this negative cycle by discussing gradual increases in potentially pleasurable activities with the child. Gradually, the adolescent is able to increase participation in these activities, which tends to increase positive feelings and reduce feelings of hopelessness and depression. When adolescents are depressed doing basic activities like self-care and homework may appear difficult. Thus, the CB therapist provides coaching and guidance in particular strategies for solving problems (e.g. breaking problems down into small steps) that seem insurmountable.
