Major Depression
I offer a caring and safe place to recover from depression. You will be able to talk about your feelings, thoughts and expereinces that injure your self concept, your hopelessness and utter despair. My goals are to understand what you are going through with no judgement and to offer the best help science has to offer.
Depression robs you of joy and energy. Let me help you rebuild your self-esteem and renew your interest in living a fulfilling and happy life.
Testing for depression is helpful in determining the severity of major depression and noting the progress you will make. This is important because the most recent research indicates that medication for mild or moderate depression is not better than placebo. Psychological testing can identify the severity of depression and it is also useful in differentiating depression from other conditions such as Bipolar Disorder, ADHD and Anxiety and Mania.
Don’t hesitate to call for an appointment. (770) 312-2319. Click on the New Patient Forms in the left margin to fill out your paperwork. See you soon.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy proves to be most effective in treating depression. When the depression is severe, clients do better with a combination of an SSRI medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) plus Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Untreated, depression may lead to suicidal ideation, neurological deficits, such as decreased concentration and memory loss. Some clients may be irritable and argumentative. Others may resort to self-medicating with alcohol or drugs. The Kovner Center can help you assess the level of treatment you need and help you avoid the problems associated with self-medicating. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy(ACT) provides a larger clinical range of interventions for the state you are at any given time and is also a very effective treatment for most affective disorders.
How Do You Know If You Have Major Depression?
Major Depression robs you of your will to live. You may suffer from low self-esteem. You can lose interest in your usual activities, even sex. Your energy will become depleted and you will tend to withdraw from your friends and loved ones. You may neglect your own health and hygiene. Often there are fleeting suicidal thoughts that may worsen. Irritability and anger are frequently felt. Concentration and memory issues appear.
Did you know that researchers are now showing that, over time, your brain actually begins to shrink or atrophy from depression?
When Children Become Depressed
When children become symptomatic they often do so through declining concentration and focus in school witnessed by declining grades. They lack motivation, stop doing their chores, lose interest in their usual activities, and are often irritable and angry. They argue and refuse to cooperate, become sullen and withdrawn. They may lose their appetite. They have difficulty concentrating and making decisions. They may think about death and dying and may act destructively towards themselves or others.
Depression In Teenagers
Teenagers withdraw. They experience intense moods and act angry. They try to numb their emotions by cutting, using substances and alcohol, sex, excessive video gaming. They withdraw, often avoiding daytime by staying up past midnight. They affiliate with similarly depressed youth. Read More
Treatment of Depression
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is recommended as the evidenced-based treatment for coping with depression. Beyond the coping skills offered by CBT, Dr. Kovner uses a host of interpersonal psychotherapies including Gestalt, Transactional Analysis and Reality Therapy to guide clients through their depression to recovery. Remembering their early childhood relationships and allowing themselves to talk about their painful emotions in a supportive alliance permits the safe recollection of the origins of their depression. When the problems of living are perceived as unsolvable, hopelessness sinks in and we feel ourselves to be lost. Through support and understanding most problems can be viewed differently, increasing a sense of hope. With renewed energy and optimism, depression can be managed and even dismissed.
Medication is helpful for moderate to severe major depression. Psychological evaluation and formal testing can determine the degree of major depression.
Dr. Kovner helps clients to understand the emotional damage they may have experienced along their journey. Dysfunctional behavior modeled by family members are often repeated by us and passed on to our children. By actively changing these dysfunctional emotional and behavioral patterns stop with you, Learn how to recognize your irrational beliefs, patterns of dysfunctional coping mechanisms and maladaptive reactions to stress so that you can live a happier, fulfilling, successful life.
If you or your child are in a crisis right now, do not hesitate to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Kovner Center does not provide emergency after hours care.
- 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- To chat online with a counselor, click here: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/LifelineChat.aspx
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website: http://www.suicideprevention
- For the hearing impaired, contact the Lifeline by TTY at: 1-800-799-4889
If you are not in a state of emergency and you are seeking compassion and understanding, safety and professional direction, you will find that I, Dr. Steven Kovner, can help. Together we can work to promote insight into your issues. I will teach and encourage you to practice coping skills and help you design individualized methods to build self-esteem and self-confidence, overcome rejection and betrayal, reduce your symptoms, and help you to understand the abusive and damaging experiences of the past. You will learn the underlying neuro-cognitive mechanisms that are causing your distress. This will take a safe environment and a caring and understanding professional that you can trust and you can rely on. I have the experience, training and compassion to provide that level of professional care. Additionally, I use a combination of evidenced-based scientific methods to teach you how to relieve your emotional pain and suffering. If you are experiencing suicidal ideation but do not have the intention to harm yourself or someone else, you can contact me to work with you and prevent your depression from escalating to harming yourself or someone else.
Call right away (770-312-2319) and speak to Janelle, my wife and Office Manager, to set up an appointment ASAP. Or, you can book the appointment yourself online using the link below.
I look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steven Kovner, Licensed Psychologist
