There have been more instances of people seeking online treatment for depression like that that are offered at mytherapycouch.com.  Many individuals are ashamed to seek help from a psychotherapist because many feel that seeking help means admitting that you are crazy or otherwise mentally impaired.  This is not the case at all.

There are people who become afflicted with depression intermittently because of a triggering event such as trauma or the loss of loved one.  This is quite normal and simply talking to someone and venting those feelings can make all of the difference in the world.  Many people who suffer from depression feel that they are alone and that they don’t have any resources or anyone to turn to.  This feeling of inadequacy and hopelessness lead to higher instances of suicide attempts.

Many people who are experiencing depression don’t know it.  They do not recognize the feelings that they are having as being a problem.  When people start to suspect that there may be something wrong, the first thing that they do is go online and search for symptoms and afflictions.  There are often misdiagnoses because symptoms are not exclusive to just one or two ailments.  It is important to speak with a professional to make sure that you or a loved one receives the proper treatment.

Being diagnosed as clinically depressed does not mean that a person is crazy.  There may be circumstances in a person’s life that may lead to depression or other factors that can contribute to the depression.  Depression affects many people today; much more than we would like to admit.  There is still a stigma today when it comes to issues of mental health.  There are many misconceptions and stereotypes.  If someone is labeled as mentally ill, they are automatically classified as unstable with the potential to be dangerous.  This could not be further from the truth.

There are many people who suffer from some type of mental affliction, such as phobias.  Being afraid of heights or spiders does not make a person a lunatic, does it?  However phobias are mental afflictions that are not typical of all people.  Phobias are often triggered by something that happened in the past.  This is exactly the same as depression.

Online Depression Therapy

Depression happens. When someone is depressed they feel sad most of the time, sometimes even worthless and hopeless. They may lose interest in things they once enjoyed like going out with friends or hiking. Often they have disrupted sleep (being unable to sleep or seemingly wanting to sleep all the time). They also may have problems with their appetite (again, either increased or decreased with possible weight fluctuations). Most devastating of all they can become suicidal and worse yet actually attempt to take their own lives.

There are, of course, many therapies available for depression. Most of us know of people who have had depression and have sought traditional therapies. By this I mean the kind of therapy that takes place in an office while sitting across from a therapist. However, there is an alternative. There are growing numbers of therapists who do online depression therapy!

There are some advantages and disadvantages of online depression therapy.. In regards to advantages, depression comes with decreased motivation and energy. These symptoms alone can make it difficult for someone to drag themselves to a therapists office. They also can have difficulties with concentration, which could cause them to forget when appointments are scheduled. It could be much easier for a person with depression to engage in a therapy that does not have a set time which they need to remember and be motivated to go to “right then”. Such a therapy is online depression therapy. Another advantage is that the depressed individual would not have to take off from work to go to appointments. With online therapy they could sit comfortably in their pjs while having a snack. There is no need to travel and pay for parking (if they live in a bigger city). Finally, there is no concern about moving. The therapist “moves” with them! Of course there are some disadvantages, mainly there is a loss of personal interaction that some people feel they need for therapy to be helpful.  The other disadvantage to online depression therapy is that therapists often will not want to work online with someone who is suicidal, for obvious reasons. And, as noted earlier, being suicidal can come with being depressed.  So, overall, there appears to be a good number of reasons for someone to chose online depression therapy over traditional. However, this is a personal choice.

Given all this one might wonder how would this type of therapy work? Well, online therapy can occur in a few different formats such as email, online chat, group online chat, internet phone, and video conferencing (like Skype). Emails are great because it allows for flexible schedules. It also allows he client time to think about what they might want to say or ask. This is great for online depression therapy since people with depression may be “slowed down” in their thinking which can make face to face interactions difficult and perhaps frustrating for them. Online chat and group online chat do require some scheduling, but they have an advantage over email in that the client can get immediate responses. Internet phone, as with chat, requires a set time. However, it adds a more “personal feel”. Finally there is the video conferencing which could be a viable option given a fast internet connection. However, interestingly, some researchers have found that clients engaging in online therapy with video conferencing tend to share less than those using email or chat.

The type of therapy used is individual to the therapist providing online depression therapy.  However, overall it does seem like a option from which many depressed people could benefit.