Depression

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Understanding Depression in Alaska

Depression is a normal part of life. Clinically diagnosable depression is more than feeling sad or having a rough week. Depression is a common but serious mental health condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, and functions day to day.

According to the DSM-5, Major Depressive Disorder involves a persistent low mood or loss of interest in activities lasting at least two weeks, alongside other symptoms that interfere with daily life. Depression can affect anyone, regardless of age, background, or circumstance, and often results from a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.

Common symptoms of depression include:

  • Persistent sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness

  • Chronic and uncharacteristic irritability

  • Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed

  • Changes in sleep, including sleeping too much or too little

  • Weight gain or loss

  • Low energy or fatigue

  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

  • Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt

  • Thoughts of death or suicide

If these symptoms persist for two weeks or more and disrupt work, relationships, or daily functioning, it may be time to talk with a mental health professional. A clinician can help determine whether you are experiencing a specific depressive disorder, rule out other conditions, and make treatment recommendations. If your symptoms occur seasonally and persist for more than two years, you may experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD). To learn more about SAD in Alaska, click here.

Treatment Options for Depression

  • A multimodal approach is helpful for managing depression. In individual therapy, patients can develop new skills and receive immediate feedback that supports progress and improves confidence.

    • Dialectical behavioral therapy focuses on tolerating distress, regulating affect, and, in turn, improving interpersonal functioning.

    • Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches participants to identify and correct thinking errors. Examples of thinking errors include: internalizing blame, catastrophizing, negative filtering, and emotional reasoning.

    • Trauma therapy helps patients to shift from a state of chronic emotional and physical hyper-arousal into a relaxed, mindful state wherein difficult experiences can be emotionally processed and cognitively shelved.

    • Exposure therapy helps patients to walk towards and through anxiety-provoking situations with physical calm, emotional availability, and cognitive capacity to problem-solve.

    • Social skills training helps patients to understand nonverbal and situational cues and social conventions. In individual therapy, participants can practice communication skills and receive immediate feedback that supports progress and improves confidence.

    Click here to learn more about the psychotherapy services offered by Alaska Telepsychology.

  • Regular physical activity, consistent sleep routines, and social connection improve overall well-being.

  • SSRIs target serotonin re-uptake in the brain, and are often the first-line psychiatric treatment for depression. Other medications, such as SNRIs and tricyclic antidepressants, also target norepinephrine signaling to alleviate depression.

    Click here to learn more about the psychiatric services offered by Alaska Telepsychology.

  • Outcomes are best for patients with a coordinated care team that includes a mental health provider and a medication provider. At Alaska Telepsychology, we lean into this by providing psychological testing, psychiatry, and psychotherapy in-house and by coordinating with professionals outside our clinic.

Uniquely Alaskan Challenges
Depression can be especially difficult to navigate in Alaska, where geography itself creates barriers to care. Many rural and remote communities have little to no local access to psychiatrists or psychotherapists; residents may need to travel hundreds of miles, often by plane, just to see a provider. Long winters, extended darkness, and social isolation can compound depressive symptoms, while limited infrastructure, high costs of travel, and a shortage of mental health providers in rural areas make consistent, ongoing care impossible. For many Alaskans, these barriers mean depression goes unaddressed and worsens.

Want help? We offer psychological testing, psychotherapy, and psychiatry.

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