by Jengy Pie

Created on: July 18, 2009   Last Updated: July 30, 2009

The recent economic downturn has resulted in a broad range of negative effects, ranging from the withholding of pay raises right through to loss of work and even bankruptcy. The loss of work and financial independence can have important flow-on effects, which may impact the quality of life, feelings of inadequacy, and loss of hope for the future. When these are combined with a pervasive loss of enjoyment in daily life and with suicidal thoughts, clinical depression results. Depression is a syndrome that can range from a mild low mood state to a more severe form of repeated suicidal thoughts and suicide planning. Accordingly, there is a range of options available to combat depression during these hard economic times.

It is important to initially determine whether the depressed individual is suitable for psychological, or "talking," therapies. People with depression have what's called a negative cognitive filter, which distorts all of their thoughts and perception of reality. Essentially, all the negatives are magnified and there is an exaggerated sense of low self-worth, whereas positives are ignored or twisted into negatives. As such, these individuals may benefit from antidepressant medications, prior to psychological therapies and counseling, to remove this cognitive filter.

The simplest form of treatment is counseling. This involves education about depression, as well as the recession. It is important to emphasize that recessions have happened in the past, and they tend to recover, thus providing hope for the future. Education on depression should emphasize that depression can be treated. Counseling may also involve some problem-solving. For example, if the client is struggling to payoff a large debt because of the economic downturn, then the therapist and client work together to:
(1) Define the problem - how much is the debt?
(2) Devise ways to solve the problem - could he/she cutback in other areas? Should another loan be taken out?
(3) Test each of the solutions
(4) Review the outcomes of each solution
(5) Continue steps 2 - 5 until a solution is reached

Advice can also be sought in conjunction with a financial advisor or other expert as well.

The next level of therapy, and the mainstay of depression treatment, is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). This is more intense than counseling, involving 2 to 3 sessions per week for a few months, and involves a well-trained therapist, usually a psychiatrist. CBT starts off similarly to counseling, with education

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