Depression Treatment in Denver

Frequently Asked Questions About Depression

If you are having thoughts of suicide, please call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or Colorado Crisis Services at 1-844-493-8255. Effective help exists and these lines are free and confidential.

What are the symptoms of depression?

Persistent low mood or loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, lasting at least two weeks, alongside changes in sleep or appetite, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, slowed movement or agitation, and sometimes thoughts of death or suicide. The loss of interest is often the more telling symptom. See major depressive disorder.

What causes depression?

A combination of factors rather than one: genetic vulnerability, stressful or traumatic life events, loss, chronic illness, sustained stress, isolation, and sometimes medication or substance use. The older “chemical imbalance” explanation is a considerable oversimplification. What maintains depression — withdrawal, inactivity, and self-critical thinking — is what treatment targets, and that is more actionable than the cause.

How is depression treated?

CBT is a first-line psychological treatment, particularly behavioral activation, which rebuilds activity before motivation returns rather than waiting for it. DBT is used when depression comes with self-harm or severe emotional dysregulation. Medication, managed by a prescriber, is often combined for moderate to severe depression. Depression treatment in Denver.

What is major depressive disorder?

MDD is diagnosed when five or more depressive symptoms — including either low mood or loss of interest — are present nearly every day for at least two weeks and cause significant distress or impairment. It occurs in discrete episodes, which distinguishes it from the lower-grade but longer-lasting persistent form. Read about MDD treatment in Denver.

What is persistent depressive disorder?

Persistent depressive disorder, formerly dysthymia, is a chronic low mood lasting at least two years in adults, generally less severe than a major depressive episode but far longer-running. Because it can feel like personality rather than illness, people often go decades without treatment. It responds to therapy. See persistent depressive disorder treatment.

What’s the difference between sadness and depression?

Sadness is a normal response to loss or disappointment: it fluctuates, responds to comfort and circumstance, and leaves your sense of self intact. Depression is more pervasive and persistent, flattens enjoyment of everything rather than one area, and typically brings worthlessness, disrupted sleep and appetite, and loss of function. Duration and interference are the practical markers.

What is the best therapy for depression?

CBT has the largest evidence base and produces gains that tend to persist after treatment ends, with behavioral activation as its most important component. Interpersonal and behavioral therapies also have good support. Where depression sits alongside emotional dysregulation or self-harm, DBT is the better fit. We offer both and will recommend based on your presentation. Our approach.

How does therapy help with depression?

It interrupts the loop. Depression reduces activity, which reduces the sources of reward, which deepens the depression; behavioral activation deliberately reverses that order — action first, motivation later. Alongside, cognitive work targets the harsh, global self-judgments that depression makes feel like plain fact. Both are structured and practiced between sessions.

Can depression go away without treatment?

Some episodes do remit on their own, often over many months. But untreated depression carries real costs in the meantime — to work, relationships, and health — and each episode raises the likelihood of another. Treatment shortens episodes and reduces recurrence. Waiting it out is a gamble with a long timeline, and it is not the safer option it can appear to be.

How long does depression last?

An untreated major depressive episode commonly runs several months to a year, with wide variation. Persistent depressive disorder lasts two years or more by definition. With treatment, many people see meaningful improvement within 8–16 weekly sessions of CBT. Duration also depends on whether this is a first episode and whether stressors are ongoing.

Is medication or therapy better for depression?

For mild to moderate depression, therapy performs comparably to medication and its effects are more durable once treatment stops. For severe depression, the combination generally outperforms either alone. Neither is universally superior, and the choice depends on severity, history, and preference — a discussion for you and a prescriber. Mountainside provides the therapy and coordinates with prescribers.

What are coping strategies for depression?

Schedule small activities before you feel like doing them, keep a consistent sleep and wake time, get daylight early, maintain contact with at least one person, and break tasks down far smaller than feels reasonable. Treat self-critical thoughts as symptoms rather than assessments. These support treatment rather than replace it for moderate or severe depression.

Can exercise help with depression?

Yes — regular physical activity has a measurable antidepressant effect and is a reasonable adjunct to treatment, particularly for mild to moderate depression. The difficulty is that depression removes the motivation to do it, which is why therapy schedules activity rather than waiting for the desire to appear. Consistency matters more than intensity or duration.

What is high-functioning depression?

An informal term for people who meet work and family obligations while experiencing persistent low mood, fatigue, and joylessness underneath. It is not a clinical diagnosis and often corresponds to persistent depressive disorder. Functioning well is frequently why it goes untreated for years — the absence of visible collapse is taken as evidence nothing is wrong.

How do I find a depression therapist in Denver?

Look for specific training in CBT or behavioral activation and ask how they will measure progress — validated symptom measures are a good sign. Ask what they do if you are not improving after a defined period. Mountainside offers structured CBT and DBT in the Denver area and by telehealth across Colorado. Request a free consultation.

What is treatment-resistant depression?

Usually defined as depression that has not responded adequately to at least two appropriate courses of antidepressant medication at sufficient dose and duration. It is a term from medication management rather than therapy. If you have been given this label, it is worth confirming that a structured evidence-based psychotherapy has genuinely been tried, since often it has not.

Can depression come back after treatment?

Recurrence is common — a history of one episode raises the risk of another, particularly under significant stress. This is one of the arguments for therapy: the skills stay with you, and CBT is associated with lower relapse rates than medication stopped alone. Many people use occasional booster sessions, which are typically much shorter than the original course.

How do I support someone with depression?

Stay present and consistent rather than trying to fix it, and offer specific practical help instead of open-ended offers. Avoid advice to cheer up or count blessings — it reliably increases shame. Encourage professional help and offer to assist with the logistics. Ask directly about suicidal thoughts if you are worried; asking does not plant the idea. In crisis, call or text 988.

What’s the link between anxiety and depression?

They co-occur very frequently and share risk factors, symptoms such as poor sleep and concentration, and maintaining processes like rumination and avoidance. Chronic anxiety often precedes and contributes to depression. The practical implication is good: CBT protocols address both, so treatment usually does not have to be sequential. See anxiety treatment in Denver.

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