Treatment Goals for Depression

Setting goals for treatment of depression can seem like an overwhelming task especially to those who are diagnosed with the illness. Setting treatment goals need to be done in order to have a path to follow for recovery.

Strategy

• Start with small obtainable goals. Setting high goals in the beginning can result in failure. Failing will only make a person feel worse. This could cause a set back in recovery.

Time Frame

• A patient needs to set short-term and long-term goals. Time frame will vary between patients. An example of a short-term goal would be "I am going to go outside X number of days for a walk this week" or "I will attend X amount of group therapies in a week/month." An example of a long-term goal would be "By this time next year I would like to only have to see my therapist X amount of times per month" or "In X amount of time I will have learned three strategies for coping."

Considerations

• Treatment goals should be based on patient's ability. If a patient used to exercise, giving them the goal of walking to help ease depression would be good whereas someone who has not exercised might find this goal much harder to reach.

Awareness

• Patients should be made thoroughly aware of their condition. Patients who are well informed have a higher success rate then those whose doctors did not inform them.

Types

• Many types of treatment for depression exist. It is important all treatment options are made available to the patient. One could choose medication, talk therapy through group counseling, talk therapy through a psychiatrist, or even homeopathic remedies.