Depression Treatment Centers for Women

Depression Treatment Centers for Women

Imagine walking around with an iron anvil strapped to your ankle.  You sure wouldn’t get a whole lot accomplished in a day, dragging that thing around.  In fact, you might not even be able to move at all.  Well that is how it feels when a woman is battling depression, held back from participating in life by the weight of this serious mood disorder.  Intense fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, despair, and sadness hamper any attempt to be productive or to even just participate in life.

When it comes to the mental health disorder of major depressive disorder, women experience the debilitating disorder in far greater numbers than do men.  In fact, women are nearly twice as likely to develop depression as men, according to a 2015 article in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. In response to the gender specific factors and needs in women, specific depression treatment centers for women offer targeted treatment that pertains to them.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression in Women

If more than five of these symptoms persist consistently for over two weeks it may be time to seek help at a depression treatment center for women.

Signs and symptoms of depression may include:

• Persistent feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and despair
• Concentration problems
• Sleep disturbance, either excessive sleeping or insomnia
• Fatigue, lethargy, and exhaustion
• Irritability
• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
• Changes in eating habits
• Mood swings
• Feelings of guilt
• Physical symptoms not explained, such as headaches, body aches, and digestive problems
• Feeling out of control, unable to take the reins of ones life
• Suicidal thoughts or attempts

Factors that Contribute to Depression in Women

Although men and women can both experience depressive episodes, the factors that bring on the condition can be quite different between the sexes.  Where men may develop depression due to financial setbacks, work-related problems, a job loss, or as a result of a co-occurring alcohol dependency, women are prone to depression for vastly different reasons.

Imagine walking around with an iron anvil strapped to your ankle.  You sure wouldn’t get a whole lot accomplished in a day, dragging that thing around.  In fact, you might not even be able to move at all.  Well that is how it feels when a woman is battling depression, held back from participating in life by the weight of this serious mood disorder.  Intense fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, despair, and sadness hamper any attempt to be productive or to even just participate in life.

When it comes to the mental health disorder of major depressive disorder, women experience the debilitating disorder in far greater numbers than do men.  In fact, women are nearly twice as likely to develop depression as men, according to a 2015 article in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. In response to the gender specific factors and needs in women, specific depression treatment centers for women offer targeted treatment that pertains to them.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression in Women

If more than five of these symptoms persist consistently for over two weeks it may be time to seek help at a depression treatment center for women.

Signs and symptoms of depression may include:

• Persistent feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and despair
• Concentration problems
• Sleep disturbance, either excessive sleeping or insomnia
• Fatigue, lethargy, and exhaustion
• Irritability
• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
• Changes in eating habits
• Mood swings
• Feelings of guilt
• Physical symptoms not explained, such as headaches, body aches, and digestive problems
• Feeling out of control, unable to take the reins of ones life
• Suicidal thoughts or attempts

Factors that Contribute to Depression in Women

Although men and women can both experience depressive episodes, the factors that bring on the condition can be quite different between the sexes.  Where men may develop depression due to financial setbacks, work-related problems, a job loss, or as a result of a co-occurring alcohol dependency, women are prone to depression for vastly different reasons.

Women experience hormonal fluctuations from the onset of menses to menopause that can contribute to the feelings of depression.  Women typically manage a complex list of roles and responsibilities, most of them having to do with nurturing or helping others.  The feelings of stress, disappointment, ineffectiveness, social pressure, frustration, or simply being overwhelmed can be exacerbated by the hormonal fluctuations and result in a depressive episode.

Fluctuating hormones are not the sole reason why a woman may develop depression.  Death of a loved one, history of trauma or abuse, marital or relationship problems, complex PTSD, divorce, or genetic makeup may all contribute to the depression.

What Depression Treatment Centers for Women Offer

A specialized depression treatment retreats and program geared to the unique features of depression in women can more effectively target the sources and treat this serious mental health condition.  After completing a comprehensive physical and mental health history, evaluation and intake interview, a customized treatment plan is created specifically for each individual woman.

Treatment for the depression will likely involve three main elements:  antidepressant medication, psychotherapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and experiential/holistic therapies.

• Antidepressant drug therapy is effective in alleviating depression symptoms in 50%-70% of patients, however this may involve trialing a few different drugs to find the one that fits.
• Psychotherapy, both individual sessions and group therapy, will usually involve exploring past trauma and deep emotional pain that may be contributing to the condition. Also, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is very effective in helping patients change disordered or irrational thought patterns that may have contributed to low mood, as well as teach new coping techniques to access when feeling depressed about something.
• Experiential therapies include such activities as art and music therapy, journaling, yoga, and guided meditation that assist in learning new insights that may have contributed to the depression.

Seeking a Depression Treatment Centers for Women

The Treatment Specialist will connect you with a treatment center that can guide you or a loved one to a depression treatment center for women. The compassionate specialists will provide a free, confidential assessment that helps them select the most appropriate depression treatment program to suit your specific needs. In addition, we work with a number of depression rehab centers that take insurance to help reduce the out of pocket costs for treatment.  For more information about our free service, please contact a Treatment Specialist today at (866) 644-7911.