Mood fluctuations are a normal part of life. Yet, if you are experiencing a frequent and sustained lack of enthusiasm, sadness, emptiness, or emotional dysregulation, you may be suffering from depression. Depression and emotional fatigue are both often found alongside other conditions, such as substance use disorder and addiction, but they can also occur independently. If you are looking for possible solutions, individual therapy in D.C. is one such option.
What Is Individual Therapy?
Individual therapy is a type of treatment that pairs mental health professionals with patients in a one-on-one format. Rather than group therapy, in which a person seeks interaction with others about specific challenges, individual therapy is a more private affair and can encourage people who are concerned about anonymity, shame, or stigma. It can also simply be preferable for people who seek a more targeted approach.
The techniques used in individual therapy will be customized to suit the person being treated. Talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy, and more are all options and, in many cases, are used concurrently.
Understanding the Biology of Depression
To understand how individual therapy can be used to treat depression and emotional fatigue, it is essential to know why a person may suffer from these conditions from a biological perspective. Depression is not simply a mood; it is a physical alteration of the chemicals and brain functions of the individual affected.
Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are small chemicals that relay information from one neuron to another. The neurons in the brain “speak” to each other using these transmitters, but in people struggling with depression, some of the neurotransmitters are not functioning properly. Three specific neurotransmitters are typically implicated: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
- Dopamine: The neurotransmitter responsible for the feeling of reward, pleasure, and satisfaction after completing a task or doing something enjoyable. Low levels of dopamine could contribute to common depressive symptoms, such as emotional fatigue and struggles with daily activities, such as showering, cleaning the house, or even getting out of bed.
- Serotonin: Known as the “happy” chemical, this neurotransmitter helps regulate mood. People with decreased serotonin production are more likely to feel the sadness or hopelessness associated with depression, and they may experience a lack of interest in things that previously brought them joy.
- Norepinephrine: This neurotransmitter helps modulate attention and interest. Those who are struggling with proper norepinephrine levels might find it hard to concentrate, or they may feel emotionally and physically fatigued.
Stress
Stress is a complicated biological phenomenon. The stress response produces cortisol, the hormone that (alongside adrenaline) moderates a person’s fight-or-flight reaction. However, studies are increasingly showing that cortisol increases inflammation, and inflammation is implicated in the development of depression.
When a person becomes chronically stressed, their body’s hormonal levels begin to fluctuate. Not only does this increase cortisol beyond its normal homeostasis, but it also causes neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine) to readjust as well. Thus, stress is one of the biggest contributing factors to depressive episodes and emotional fatigue.
Genetics
A person’s family history may also be a factor, with studies suggesting that up to 40% of a person’s risk comes from their genes. However, a person may have a genetic predisposition and never show signs of depression, while those without genetic components may develop depressive symptoms.
Can Individual Therapy Treat Depression?
Depression is a complex challenge, but therapy can help. When the participants in one study tried therapy and no other lifestyle modifications or treatments, 41% saw a noticeable improvement in their depressive symptoms and emotional fatigue. Those who made additional changes (such as habit adjustments recommended by the therapist) saw even more success.
While starting individual therapy in DC may not be perfectly protective against depression, it is a powerful resource. Patients should focus on the factors that they can control, including lifestyle, stressors, and thought patterns. Here are some specific ways therapy can contribute to emotional well-being.
Identifying negative thought patterns
One of the leading drivers of depressive symptoms is a cycle of negative thought patterns. A person may suddenly have the thought, “I don’t think my friends like me.” From there, it is simple to spiral or to recall (or even invent) additional memories or signs that support the premise that their friends do not like them. As the person continues to indulge these thoughts, they become more frequent and intense. They may dredge up memories that are years old or even attempt to recontextualize formerly positive memories in a new light, searching for validation of their original premise.
Therapy can help a person identify when they begin to spiral in this way. Without being able to recognize the inciting incident, it is difficult to interrupt it; however, with practice in a therapist’s office, spotting a negative thought pattern as it begins becomes easier.
Reforming thought patterns
Once a person has learned to identify the beginning of a spiral or negative thought pattern, they can reform that process into something that serves them. A therapist helps patients change their thought patterns gradually over time.
For example, in the example above, the person may notice that they have had the thought, “I don’t think my friends like me.” Through the practice they have had with the therapist, they identify this thought as the start of a negative spiral. Then, the therapist can guide them to change tack from “I will find further evidence that my friends don’t like me” to “Here are examples of times spent with friends where we were all happy.”
By continually bouncing the negative thoughts away and adjusting them with further context to create more positive ones, a person learns to interrupt a negative spiral before it begins. This skill can consequently eliminate problematic coping mechanisms, such as drinking, that result from the emotional distress of constant negative thought cycles.
Developing active routines
People struggling with depression do not typically like to be told that “you would feel better if you just got out of the house,” but there is some truth to this statement. Research indicates that the habit of getting fresh air and staying active is effective at combating the symptoms of depression.
However, this is often easier said than done, and it is why therapy is so valuable. A therapist can help patients identify which types of activities are most enjoyable and serve to keep them active and engaged. By working with a therapist to create a reasonable and accessible routine, those with depression and emotional fatigue can have a pre-made strategy at their fingertips to reduce symptoms without needing to expend mental energy to come up with ideas on their own.
Reducing drivers of depression
Some elements of depression are out of a patient’s control, such as genetics. However, therapists help individuals manage the factors that are within their control. The most important among these is stress.
Increases in cortisol and adrenaline contribute to the physical changes that lead to depressive symptoms. Therapists are an invaluable resource for identifying stressors and developing plans to address them. While some sources of stress, such as childcare or employment, cannot be entirely removed from one’s life, their impact can be muted so the patient can cope more effectively.
Emotional Fatigue: Partnership With Depression
Depression is not the only potential cause of feelings of dullness, lack of motivation, or sadness. In some cases, emotional fatigue is to blame.
The science behind fatigue
Fatigue is a biological state in which the body is exhausted after expending effort and requires time to recover. While physical fatigue is the most common type, humans can also become emotionally fatigued.
When the neurotransmitters associated with emotional experiences are consistently taken up by the brain over a long period, the reactions of the receptor cells become less intense. Similarly, hormones such as cortisol cause a stress response through activation of the nervous system (e.g., increasing the heart rate, causing muscle constriction), resulting in exhaustion.
Why emotional fatigue often accompanies depression
It is common for emotional fatigue to accompany depression. The symptoms of depression and emotional fatigue are similar, and they feed into each other in a cyclical fashion, making recovery difficult without external help. After an emotional surge, the body may become fatigued and less able to accept further input from neurotransmitters. As a result, the body may decrease its production of those neurotransmitters, resulting in a depressive episode.
How Therapy Addresses Emotional Dullness
Just as therapy can help with depression, it can (either concurrently or separately) address emotional fatigue. Because the two challenges are frequently intertwined, it is common to treat both simultaneously. Therapy does the following:
- Reduces stress: Whether through the catharsis of speaking with someone or developing new stress-reduction strategies and coping mechanisms, therapy can decrease the stress that leads to emotional burnout
- Increases stimulating chemicals: Therapy can offer personalized suggestions for boosting the chemicals necessary to restore the body’s neurotransmitter balance to a range that reduces symptoms. This may be through journaling, finding enriching activities, or decreasing problematic habits.
- Develops new routines: A person’s daily routines can contribute to depression and fatigue. Therapists help patients identify behaviors that may not be serving them and how to replace them with more beneficial ones.
Start Individual Therapy in DC Today
If you are struggling with depression and emotional fatigue, help is available. The professionals at Aquila Recovery Clinic can assist you with developing new coping mechanisms, interrupting negative thought patterns, and combating the self-defeating cycles that perpetuate depressive symptoms with individual therapy in D.C. Contact Aquila Recovery Clinic to schedule a therapy appointment and see how it can help.