Do you struggle with depression and want to find help, but aren’t sure about your options? Time Wellness Georgia helps people who have depression get to the root of their disorder and learn to improve their symptoms.
We provide different programs for outpatient care that make a difference in helping improve your mood. We also offer access to prescription medications that ease your symptoms.
Learn more about our mental health treatment programs in Georgia or call us at 470-291-2011. Let Time Wellness provide you with first-class depression treatment in Atlanta.
Understanding Depression
Depression is more than just feeling sad or going through a rough patch. It’s a serious mental health disorder that affects how you feel, think, and handle daily activities. Adults in the U.S. who report having been diagnosed with depression now reach 29%, which is almost 10% higher than reports from 2015.
Depression can happen to someone regardless of their age, income, religion, sexual preference, or gender identity.
Depression can disrupt healthy relationships with others, the ability to do well on the job or at school, and other areas of a person’s life. When it occurs, it will not go away on its own. It becomes necessary to seek professional treatment from a licensed mental health facility.
Types of Depression
Depression is a catch-all term that can refer to several different types of depression identified in the DSM-5, including:
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
MDD is also called major depression or clinical depression and is the most common type of depression. Symptoms include long episodes of low mood and energy, persistent sadness, poor sleep, irritability, feelings of guilt, and poor self-esteem. If you have MDD, you experience these symptoms most days for two months or more.
Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)
Also called dysthymia, PDD is a type of chronic depression with symptoms that are less severe than major depression. Symptoms of PDD usually don’t create significant problems with everyday functioning, however, you might feel a lack of energy, general sense of hopelessness, or run down easily. Symptoms typically last two years or more for a diagnosis of PDD.
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
DMDD is a type of depression that affects children and adolescents from age 6 to 18. Kids with DMDD have ongoing irritability and intense outbursts of anger that cause problems at home and in school.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
SAD is more common in northern areas, where the low light and long nights of winter disrupt a person’s circadian rhythm. Symptoms usually go away once spring and summer begin. Light therapy and Vitamin-D supplements can help these symptoms along with traditional depression treatment.
Psychotic Depression
People with psychotic depression have the same symptoms of MDD along with psychosis. Psychosis is a loss of touch with reality that includes delusional thinking, hallucinations, and paranoia.
Prenatal Depression
Changes in hormones during pregnancy may cause prenatal depression. These hormonal changes affect your mood, leading to feelings of extreme sadness throughout pregnancy. Treatment includes therapy, exercise, nutritional counseling, and improving sleep health.
Postpartum Depression
After giving birth, some new mothers experience a period of depression called postpartum depression. This is fairly common—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “1 in 8 women with a recent live birth reported symptoms of postpartum depression.”
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
Some people born female experience symptoms of depression one to two weeks before their period, which is known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). This is more severe than typical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Perimenopausal Depression
Perimenopausal depression occurs due to fluctuations in hormones as a woman approaches menopause. This change in hormones can lead to mood swings, fatigue, irritability, and sleep disturbances.
Stress Response Syndrome (Situational Depression)
Sometimes, depressive symptoms occur due to specific situations or when overwhelmed with significant stress. For example, loss of a loved one can lead to situational depression sometimes called complicated grief.
Atypical Depression
This type of depression differs from the usual types of depression and is also known as mood reactivity. While people with atypical depression don’t experience prolonged sadness, they might have symptoms like increased appetite, sleeping for longer than usual, and a feeling of heaviness in their arms and legs.
Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)
Some people don’t get relief from traditional treatments for depression. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is still treatable with alternative approaches, including antipsychotic medications, Esketamine spray (Spravato), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).
Do I Have Depression or Bipolar Disorder? (How to Tell the Difference)
In addition, certain types of bipolar disorder may appear like one of the above-mentioned depressive disorders. While bipolar disorder is often associated with mania, not all types of bipolar disorder have an extreme manic phase. Not only that, but the depressive states of all bipolar disorder types mimics the symptoms of a depressive disorder.
Bipolar II Disorder and Cyclothymic Disorders, are characterized by hypomanic symptoms along with depressive episodes, which are less severe than the manic phases of Bipolar I. In addition, the depressive episodes of Bipolar II last longer than those of Bipolar I. However, Cyclothymic Disorders are characterized by mood swings between hypomanic and depressive states.
It’s important to take note of how your depression occurs—do you have mood swings where you experience highs and lows? Or, are your depressive episodes followed by a slightly heightened state of energy and excitement? Then, you might have a type of bipolar disorder instead of depression, which requires different types of treatment and psychiatric medications called mood stabilizers.
Causes and Risk Factors of Depression
Depression may develop for a variety of reasons, including biochemical, psychological, environmental, and genetic factors. Children and teenagers who have experienced childhood trauma may exhibit symptoms that resemble irritation rather than melancholy. If depression is not identified or treated, it can persist and worsen throughout adulthood.
Long-term medical conditions like cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease can contribute to a person developing depression. Depression can also happen as a symptom of another mental illness or when a person has a substance use disorder.
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Signs That Someone May Need Depression Treatment in Atlanta
The first step in depression treatment in Georgia is to evaluate a person’s symptoms and provide an accurate diagnosis of depression.
Common signs that a person needs help to overcome their depression include:
- Low self-esteem
- Irritability
- Feeling worthless
- Recurring thoughts of death
- Suicidal ideation
- Cognitive difficulties
- Loss of interest in hobbies and a social life
- Isolating from others
- Feeling all hope is lost
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Changes in weight or appetite
- Sexual dysfunction
- Lethargy
- Body aches and pains
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Depression in Georgia
Depression is among the most common mental health disorders worldwide, but it is treatable.
According to research conducted by the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), 21 million people over the age of 18 experienced a major depressive episode at least once in 2020.
Furthermore, according to the NAMI Georgia Fact Sheet, 44.3% of Georgian individuals reported having anxiety or depression symptoms in February 2021. 29.4% of people couldn’t get the necessary therapy or counseling. Fortunately, Georgia depression treatment is available to relieve these symptoms for people who are not receiving treatment.
Depression Among Men, Women, and the LGBTQ+ Community
Given that men are more likely to conceal their depressive symptoms, it is not unexpected that women receive depression diagnoses at a higher rate. Men, for example, find it difficult to communicate their emotions and sentiments or to acknowledge that they are depressed, and they often refuse to get help.
Additionally, there is a higher risk of depression among LGBTQ+ people. Therefore, learning more about mental health issues and breaking the stigma associated with them helps motivate people in need of assistance to seek out Georgia depression treatment.
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Our Atlanta Depression Treatment Programs
At Time Wellness Georgia, our programs for depression treatment Atlanta include our inclusive and understanding approach. We recognize that each person needs a program level that meets their needs, and the types of therapy that best match their needs.
The levels of care we offer include:
- Residential Inpatient Treatment: We work with multiple treatment programs in the area to help place clients in residential treatment when needed before coming to our outpatient programs.
- Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): Our PHP offers comprehensive support from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, with an average length of stay between four to six weeks. This program is ideal for individuals who require comprehensive treatment but still wish to maintain their independence.
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): Our IOP provides focused treatment for three to five days a week, three hours a day, over one to two months. This option suits those transitioning from PHP or anyone who needs more support.
- Outpatient Program: Our outpatient program offers support and therapy for those who require flexible scheduling or are managing well with fewer check-ins.
We also offer Virtual treatment sessions and Evening IOP for adolescents.
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How We Treat Depression In Atlanta
The more therapies a person participates in, the greater their ability to ease their symptoms and feel more positive.
At Time Wellness Georgia, we provide access to several types of therapy that include:
- Medication Management: The use of psychiatric drugs in combination with talk and other types of therapy.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A therapy that teaches people to identify and challenge their negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones to influence their mood.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: Teaches the important tenets of mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness to manage intense emotions.
- Biofeedback Therapy: Enhances mental health through the use of real-time displays of body functions to achieve self-regulation of bodily processes.
- Red Light Therapy: The non-invasive introduction of low levels of red light to help improve skin issues, insomnia, and overall mental health.
- Alternative: These pair well when used alongside traditional therapies and include Float Tank Therapy, Experiential Treatments, Biofeedback, and Biosound Therapy.
- Life Skills: For people who need training in essential life skills to help them with daily life chores.
- Yoga and Mindfulness Therapy: The use of these two therapies helps people feel better both physically and mentally.
- Art Therapy: Using art to help people communicate their feelings through an artistic activity.
- Music Therapy: Listening to and creating music as a way to help people expedite their healing process.
- Trauma Therapy: Therapies that target the effects of experiencing trauma and help heal them.
- Biosound Therapy: The use of sound vibrations with biofeedback that helps promote relaxation and emotional well-being.
- Family Program: A therapist leads family members through therapy sessions to help them understand their loved ones and put practical ways to help them into practice.
- Experiential Therapies: The use of therapies that get people engaged in physical activities to help promote growth and self-awareness.
- BrainTap: The individual wears a headset that emits rhythmic pulses of light and sound that foster relaxation.
- EMDR Therapy: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy helps process and heal trauma through the use of directed eye movements while the person speaks about their traumatic events.
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Why Time Wellness?
Too many depression treatment Atlanta programs treat people with a one-size-fits-all attitude. Time Wellness Georgia gets to know each person who comes to us for help so we can enroll them in the right level of care for their unique needs. This allows us to match each person with the types of therapies that will help them achieve their treatment goals.
Our staff also offers access to prescription medications that help ease the symptoms of depression.
FAQ
If you’ve experienced symptoms of depression for more than two weeks, you need depression treatment.
It is common to experience sadness from time to time. For example, when going through a breakup or after losing a loved one. While bouts of sadness can occur throughout life, depression is more than this.
Depression affects your ability to function in daily life. When sadness becomes so overwhelming that you are unable to do things like go to work, keep up with daily hygiene, complete daily chores—or in extreme cases, being unable to eat or get out of bed—then you need treatment.
It’s important to note that if you have suicidal ideation with your depression, you need to seek help right away. You can also call the 988 lifeline for immediate help.
Depression treatment can take several weeks, months, or even years.
Overall, however, your symptoms should start to improve within a few weeks of treatment. For some people, it may take a few months—especially if they are starting a medication regime. But most people do feel some relief soon after starting treatment.
However, depression is never really cured. You may need ongoing treatment to manage your symptoms throughout your lifetime. Some people continue with weekly outpatient therapy or support groups after acute treatment.
Yes, most insurance carriers cover depression treatment in Atlanta.
However, your individual plan will vary in terms of what is covered and for how long. You can contact your insurance provider directly by calling the phone number on your insurance card.
You may also contact Time Wellness Centers for an insurance verification before you begin treatment.
You can start depression treatment today by calling Time Wellness Centers at 404-856-3426 for an evaluation.
You may also talk to your primary care physician (PCP) or family doctor for referrals or an evaluation. Sometimes, symptoms of depression could have an underlying physical cause. So, it is best to rule out any other causes first.
Michelle Rubio is our Clinical Director at Time Wellness in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a passion for helping those in need.
If you or a loved one need mental health treatment in Atlanta, we’re here to help. Contact Time Wellness Centers today to get started.
