Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder and Postpartum Depression

NR605 Which Therapy Would You Choose? Worksheet
Name:
Scenario 1
Diagnosis: Major depressive disorder
Selected psychotherapeutic approach with rationale: Supportive psychotherapeutic approach. Supportive therapy is highly effective in addressing depressive disorders (Nof et al., 2017). It employs therapeutic alliance, which promotes effective healing. Further, it is highly effective, especially when applied to new patients, since it presents a therapeutic environment that is less structured (Novalis et al., 2019). Therefore, supportive therapy will be useful in addressing the major depressive disorder.
Therapeutic techniques to employ: There are several therapeutic techniques in supportive therapy that have shown immense positive outcomes in patients with major depressive disorder. One of these is building an alliance, where the therapist shows utmost empathy and interest in dealing with the patient (Novalis et al., 2019). An informal communication style is employed here, and the therapist refrains from using technical terms. The therapist promotes collaboration that engages the patient and creates no room for power dynamics (Leibovich et al., 2018). The patient, therefore, feels more comfortable, and it becomes easy to develop a rapport. Another technique in supportive therapy is esteem building, where the therapist reassures the patient's feelings and thoughts to build their esteem (Novalis et al., 2019). Here, the therapist encourages the patient and makes them feel worthy, authentic, and cared for. Another technique includes preventing and reducing anxiety, where the therapist normalizes, rationalizes, and reframes the patient’s thoughts and feelings (Zilcha-Mano et al., 2018). The therapist works to demonstrate that anxiety is a normal part of life and that they can both figure it out, examining and rethinking the situation.
Psychopharmacology inclusion with rationale: In this scenario, combining psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological approaches would be imperative. A medication that would be prescribed as a psychopharmacological approach is Prozac 20mg. Prozac alleviates the symptoms of the major depressive disorder by inhibiting the reabsorption of serotonin, a mood regulator (Findling et al., 2022). Prozac has significantly improved mood, sleep, energy level, and appetite.

Scenario 2
Diagnosis: postpartum depression
Selected psychotherapeutic approach with rationale: Expressive psychotherapeutic approach. Expressive therapy would be ideal in this case, applying creative activities to assist the patient in sharing and processing feelings that are hard to express in words (Nof et al., 2017). Creative activities work better in uncovering the source of the problem and can include writing, keeping journals, and sketching. Therefore, the patient could express why they feel the way they do, what they wish for, and what they have to do. Eventually, the process promotes healing.
Therapeutic techniques to employ: Several therapeutic techniques are used in expressive psychotherapy. These include music therapy, which involves singing or listening to music, which has been shown to lower anxiety and elevate mood (Nof et al., 2017). Another technique is art creation, which can be done through painting,...