Active Treatment of Depression

Despite advances in medication and psychotherapeutic methods, most patients with depression are subject to frequent recurrences and lead damaged lives even when they do not meet criteria for an episode. This article suggests an active, directive, educational treatment approach for patients with depression, centered on two tools: 1. a Mood Journal, focusing on reestablishing the connection between the patients mood changes and their external life; and 2. a series of “aphorisms” of depression, meant to be shared with patients early in treatment. These are assertions about the nature of depression and recovery from it, which help patients move toward taking an active role in questioning how the condition affects them.