Many of us are extremely used to depression and anxiety to the point of being unaware of its effects in our lives. These emotional states are not just a single symptom, they are an array of different symptoms that creates what is called “depression” and/or “anxiety.” It is unfortunate to hear many individuals use these terms loosely without knowing that such terminology denotes great amount of suffering from the part of the individual(s), couple and/or family experiencing it. In today’s society we apply these terms daily to the point of loosing its truly meaning. We use terms such as “friendship”, “love”, “bipolar”, “depressed”, “anxious”, etc., in our daily communication with family members, friends, co-workers, etc. As we abuse the meaning associated with the word, its truthfulness and unique symbolic significance is diminished. We learn to live with these non-natural emotional stages in our daily “modern living” that we are not aware of what physical harm is developed by such emotions. This is without mentioning the devastating effects that such distress can evoke on our most important relationships in our lives. We become accustomed to be upset with our spouses, children, siblings, parents, family members, co-workers, etc. We carry passive-aggressive behaviors to “pay-back” to them in an often “unconscious way.”
Some of the symptoms associated with these emotions are as follow:
- Lack of appetite or overeating
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Poor energy or fatigue
- Poor self-esteem
- Diminished concentration or difficulty making decisions
- Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
- Emotional despair
- Ongoing sadness
- Feelings overwhelmed with daily task
- Regular conflict with love ones
- Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
- Being easily fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
- Irritability
- Muscle tensión
- Feeling frustrated with others
- Feeling angry
- Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep)
Individual, couple, family and child’s psychotherapy might be an excellent approaches to reduce/eliminate these emotional conditions. Each unit of treatment requires a unique approach to the “patient-specific” set of symptoms and the expression of these symptoms in our daily living. An experienced psychotherapist should be able to identify and reflect with the patient how these emotions are affecting the interpersonal and extra personal relationships of the unit of treatment. When I speak of the “unit of treatment” I am speaking of the individual, the couple, the family or the child(ren) seeking and receiving mental health treatment.
Psychotherapy should not be a life-long treatment but a treatment that help the patient to resolve the issue(s) that prompted him or her to enter treatment and then resume to his or her daily activities.
