How Do I Find the Right Therapist for Depression?

Summary: To find the right therapist for depression, it’s important to understand what depression is, get an accurate diagnosis from an experienced mental health provider, learn what types of therapy are available, and choose a provider who aligns with your needs, goals, and personality.

Key Points:

• Learn as much as you can about depression and depressive disorders before starting your search.
• Get a real diagnosis from a professional: only a trained professional can diagnose a mental health disorder, offer a referral for care, and prescribe psychiatric medication.
• Find out what kind of therapy they offer, learn about it, and decide if it meets your goals for treatment.
• Understand that having a good rapport with your therapist is almost as important as the treatment modality: the better the connection, the better the outcome.

What is Depression?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) defines major depressive disorder as follows:

“…an overwhelming feeling of sadness, isolation, and despair that last two weeks or longer at a time.”

The signs and symptoms of depression include:

• Chronic sadness/low mood
• Declining interest in activities: hobbies, social, others
• Daily/near daily crying or tears
• Chronic, daily hopelessness
• Increasing, uncharacteristic anger
• Irritability
• Chronic sense of worthlessness
• Atypical tiredness/fatigue
• Withdrawal from family/friends/loved ones
• Uncharacteristic restlessness
• Problems with memory, concentration, and decision-making
• Problems sleeping: sleeping too much, sleeping too little
• Weight gain/weight loss
• Loss of interest in personal hygiene
• *Suicidality: thinking, planning, or attempting suicide*

*NOTE: NEVER IGNORE SUICIDALITY OF ANY KIND*

If you’re at immediate risk of harm, or someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately. If they’re in crisis but not imminent risk of harm, please call National Emergency Mental Health and Suicide Crisis line: dial 988 for help, available 24/7/365.

It’s critical to read that list of symptoms with full understanding of the brief definition preceding it:

Symptoms must be present every day for two weeks or longer to meet criteria for a clinical diagnosis of depression.

Feeling bad about a social or work situation but bouncing back after a couple of days does not meet criteria for clinical depression. However, a negative social or work situation that leads to low mood, sadness, and hopelessness that persists for weeks or months might indeed meet the criteria for clinical depression.

The rule of thumb: if you bounce back from depressive feeling and return to your old self after several days or a week, you may not have depression. On the other hand, if you experience uncharacteristic low mood that persists for week, and you don’t return to your old self, then it may be time to seek a full psychiatric evaluation from an experienced mental health professional.

It’s also critical to understand that depression can be a serious mental illness with significant consequences if left untreated. That’s why we include the disclaimer about suicidality: in some cases, the search to find the right therapist for depression can be lifesaving: that’s no exaggeration.

How Many People Have Depression?

If you read those signs and symptoms above, suspect you ay have depression, and want to fid the right therapist for depression, it’s important to remember that you are not alone. In fact, millions of people in the U.S. have depression. And like you, most of them want to find the right therapist for depression.

The 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2024 NSDUH) shows the following prevalence rates for depression among adults in the U.S.:

Major Depressive Episode (MDE) and MDE With Severe Impairment in 2024: Past Year Prevalence, Adults 18+

Total:

• MDE: 8.2%
• MDE w/severe impairment: 5.6%

By Age Group:

• 18-25:
  • MDE: 15.9%
  • MDE w/severe impairment: 11.5%
• 26-49: 2024:
  • MDE: 10.0%
  • MDE w/severe impairment: 7.0%
• 50+:
  • MDE: 4.4%
  • MDE w/severe impairment: 2.6%

In plain numbers, those statistics tell us that 21.4 million people in the U.S. had depression in the past year, and that 14.7 million people had depression with severe impairment.

Depression: Different Types Require Specific Diagnoses

If you want to find the right therapist for depression, it’s important to understand that there are different types of depression and different levels of severity of depression. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) indicates there are at least four primary types of depressive disorders:

1. Major depressive disorder (MDD). When people talk about depression, what they mean most often is MDD. This form of depression is characterized by direct experience of the core symptoms of depression – listed above – every day for two weeks or more.
2. Persistent depressive disorder (PDD). PDD is similar to MDD, with similar symptoms. However, the symptoms of PDD are less intense, less severe, and may last longer: symptoms of PDD may come and go for two years or longer.
3. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is also similar to MDD, with a similar symptom profile. However, the symptoms of SAD are directly associated with the seasons of the year. SAD is mst common in winter, but may appear during summer months as well.
4. Depression with psychosis. This is a more serious and disruptive form of depression. A person diagnosed with MDD who also experiences hallucinations and /or delusions is likely to receive a diagnosis for depression with psychosis, if their hallucinations and/or delusions are not better explained by the presence or diagnosis of another disorder, such as schizophrenia.

Those are the primary types of depression. The reason you need an accurate diagnosis is because some types of depression respond better to some types of treatment than others.

How to Find the Right Therapist for Depression: Five Steps

To find the right therapist for depression, take these five steps:

1. Accurate Diagnosis

Receive an accurate diagnosis from an experienced mental health provider:

• • With specifiers for your type of depression
  • With referrals for care

2. Learn About Treatment.

Takee the time to educate yourself about your treatment options:

• • Psychotherapy, i.e. talk therapy. Common options include:
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
    • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    • Motivational interviewing (MI)
  • The most common medication is an antidepressant.
  • Complementary approaches:
    • Mindfulness
    • Yoga
    • Meditation
  • Lifestyle changes:
    • Exercise
    • Heathy eating
    • Sleep hygiene
    • Stress management

3. Match Needs and Goals.

• • Find a therapist who aligns with your needs, goals and concept of how treatment should work.

4. Review and Verify Their Credentials and Training.

• • Find a therapist with specialized professional training and experience supporting patients with depression.

5. Meet Them in Person.

• • Ensure you find a therapist with whom you can create an easy, open, and honest rapport, called a positive treatment alliance.

In closing, we’ll emphasize that last point: studies from the American Psychological Association (APA) indicate the following:

“A good relationship [between patient and therapist] is essential to helping the client connect with, remain in, and get the most from therapy.”

In other words, it’s essential to do your due diligence in every aspect of your search. You need to learn about depression, get an accurate diagnosis from a qualified professional, learn about the different therapeutic options available to you, and choose the type of treatment that best suits your treatment goals.

But what may be most important is the connection with your therapist, which means that to truly find the right therapist for depression for you, you need to get on the phone or online, make appointments, and actually meet any potential therapist face-to-face: that’s the only way to know if you can make a genuine, honest connection that promotes long-term healing and growth.