Treatment Centers for Severe Depression

How can you tell if you have severe depression, or just the “regular” version? And what are your options if you do have a more acute type of this condition? How can you find severe depression treatment centers near you?

What Is Severe Depression?

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does not have a distinct entry for severe depression. It does, however, have a “severe” specifier that can be added to a diagnosis in certain circumstances.

First, let’s review the symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD). As established in the DSM-5, a person must meet five of the following nine criteria to be accurately diagnosed with this condition:

1. Low mood most of the day, most days
2. Diminished interest in or ability to derive pleasure from most activities
3. Significant unintentional weight loss or gain
4. Insomnia (difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)
5. Observable restlessness or slowed reaction time
6. Persistent fatigue
7. Sense of worthlessness or misplaced guilt
8. Difficulty focusing, concentrating, or making judgments
9. Persistent thoughts of death and dying, which may include suicidal ideation

Now, let’s explore what it means to have severe depression. The DSM-5 notes that a person would qualify for the “severe” specifier if their symptoms:

• Are “substantially in excess” of the five that are required for a diagnosis
• Cause considerable distress and cannot be managed
• Markedly interfere with a person’s ability to function

Having established the parameters for severe depression, we can now turn our attention toward severe depression treatment centers.

Are There Severe Depression Treatment Centers?

If you’ve been looking for facilities that are designated only as severe depression treatment centers, you may not have had much success. 

This doesn’t mean that you can’t get effective care for severe depression. It just means that you may want to revise your search strategy, as facilities don’t usually describe themselves solely as severe depression treatment centers. 

Instead, premier providers such as Montare Behavioral Health are more likely to note that they treat depressive disorders and other mental health disorders, and that their services include effective care for patients who have been impacted in various ways. This includes those who have been experiencing particularly acute or burdensome symptoms.

So, are there severe depression treatment centers? Yes, there are. But in most cases, they probably refer to themselves as treatment centers that can care for people with severe depression. 

How Do Treatment Centers Treat Severe Depression?

Now that you know you can get professional help for severe depression, the next step is to determine which type or types of treatment are best for you.

As also the case with virtually every other mental health condition, there isn’t one kind of severe depression treatment that works for everyone. Depressive disorders, even severe ones, affect different people in different ways. This means that an approach that is ideal for one person may offer little to no benefit to someone else.

Factors that can influence what type of treatment is best for you can include:

• Your age, gender, and developmental level
• Your treatment history
• If you also need help for a substance use disorder (which is the clinical term for addiction)
• The presence of any other mental, behavioral, or medical concerns
• If you have a history of untreated trauma
• Your short- and long-term goals
• The quality of your personal support network

Depending on these factors, you may be best served by participating in treatment at one or more of the following levels:

• Inpatient care: At this level, you will live at the treatment center. Inpatient programming typically includes full days of scheduled services, along with nutritious meals and therapeutic recreation and leisure activities. An added bonus of inpatient care is that this level offers temporary respite from the stresses and distractions of daily life, so you can focus your full attention on your treatment and your health.
• Partial hospitalization program (PHP): In a PHP, you will usually take part in full days of treatment, which can include a variety of therapies and services, five days per week. However, PHPs don’t have a residential component. When treatment is not in session, you may return to your home or to a supported residence.
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP): At the IOP level, you may attend sessions for a few hours per day, a few days per week. Group therapy is usually the main method of care in IOPs, though other services may also be available. IOPs offer greater flexibility while still providing a structured connection with quality clinical care.

Given the intense disruption that severe depression can cause, many people begin treatment at the inpatient level, then step down to a PHP and an IOP for additional support. Others don’t need to participate in treatment at every level. 

Remember: There is no such thing as “one size fits all” treatment for severe depression. All decisions about your care should be made solely according to your needs, progress, and goals.

Within the various levels of care that we described above, your treatment for severe depression may include elements such as:

• Individual psychotherapy
• Group therapy sessions
• Family therapy and support
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy
• Neurofeedback therapy

Other considerations about treatment for severe depression:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and other medications can be valuable components of care for severe depression.
• If your struggles with severe depression are related to untreated trauma, services such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy may be beneficial for you.
• If you have also developed an addiction to alcohol or another drug, dual diagnosis programming to address both the depressive disorder and the addiction can be essential.

Finally, before you transition out of treatment, your provider should develop a detailed discharge plan for you. This plan may include professional referrals, details about community-based resources, and other relevant information to help you maintain and build on the progress you made while you were in treatment.

Contact Montare Behavioral Health to Treat Severe Depression

Montare Behavioral Health offers a full continuum of customized services for adults who have been living with severe depression and other acute mental health concerns.

Our network includes severe depression treatment centers at several convenient locations throughout Southern California. At each of our facilities, you can expect to receive individualized care and close personal support from a team of experienced and compassionate professionals. 

Working together, we can help you experience relief from your symptoms and regain control of your thoughts and feelings, with the goal of empowering you to experience a much healthier and more satisfying future.

To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.