Matthew Lindgren
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Oakland Depression Therapist
As an Oakland depression therapist, Matthew Lindgren helps children, teen, and adults recover from depression.
- Are you depressed?
- Physical Symptoms of Depression
- Good News for Depression in Oakland
- Young Children and Depression
- Depression in Adolescents and Teens
- Specific Depressive and Mood Disorders
Are you depressed?
- Do you or your child have difficulty concentrating, remembering things, and making decisions?
- Have you become sad and tired after giving birth?
- Have you noticed that you or your child are feeling tired and that you don't have as much energy?
- Do you or your child feel worthless, helpless, or guilty? Do you feel anxious, sad, or empty?
- Do you or your child feel as if things are not going to get better, or that you're beyond hope?
- Have you or your child lost interest in activities you enjoy? Have you lost your appetite or are you overeating?
If any of the symptoms above sound familiar, you or your child may be depressed. You owe it to yourself to seek help from a therapist who specialized in depression, like myself.
Physical Symptoms of Depression
Many people do not realize that depressive symptoms are often physical. Of course, as with any physical symptom, you need to check with your doctor first before assuming the symptoms are related to depression. Some physical symptoms of depression include:
- Exaustion - you my feel tired no matter how much you sleep.
- Sleeping problems - you may be unable to sleep or wake up too early, or you may sleep too much.
- Digestive problem such as constipation or diarrhea, stomach aches, cramps
- Headaches and a worsening of migraine headaches
- Pain - if you suffer from any sort of pain or chronic pain, depression tends to make it worse.
Is is very common for women who have just given birth to experience post-partum depression as well.
Because depression symptoms are often both psychological and physical, it can be very helpful to work with a somatic therapist, like myself, who can treat both the psychological and physiological symptoms of depression.
Good News for Depression in Oakland
The good news is that depression is usually very treatable. As an Oakland depression therapist, I help people with depression work through their pain and take steps to feel better again. I use traditional talk therapy techniques as well as empirically proven therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness based therapy, and EMDR. Exciting new research is proving the effectiveness of combining meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, for depression, and I am excited to offer this therapy to my clients.
As a somatic therapist, I am also able to help you work with your body to change the physical symptoms of depression. I find that many clients with depression respond well to hypnosis, which allows you to use the creativity and tremendous power of your mind to find solutions.
Young Children and Depression
Younger children often have a very difficult time understanding and naming their feelings and emotions. Depression is very common in children, but it often shows up in ways that are quite different from adults.
In young children, depression may appear as sadness, a lack of interaction with others, shyness, fear, anger and aggression, and a "spacey" look. As with adults, children often display physical symptoms of depression. Depressed children may also experience nightmares.
Young children often express depression in their behavior. They may wet the bed, fight or hit others, or lie, cheat, or steal. They may show a disinterest in hobbies or activities they once enjoyed. Depressed children may bang their heads or hurt themselves deliberately.
With young children, I prefer to use conjoint family therapy to treat depression. I find that younger children heal from depression faster when they form a stronger bond with a loving and stable caregiver. In family therapy for childhood depression, I tend to use narrative EMDR therapy, play therapy, art therapy, and somatic family therapy techniques.
Depression in Adolescents and Teens
Depression can be difficult to detect in adolescents and teens because teens are working through a developmental stage where they need to separate and be different from their parents and caregivers in any way possible as they form their own identity. Some teens who are not depressed will express behavior indicative of depression as a way of being separate and different, and will relate to other kids who wish to distinguish themselves in a similar manner, for example, by being "emo".
Other teens will use these same behaviors to express significant emotional turmoil and distress that suggests serious depression. Adults should always take seriously any expression of a wish to die or commit suicide, as well as behaviors related to self-cutting and mutilation. As with adults and younger children, the physical symptoms of depression tend to be good signs. If you're worried about whether your teen is depressed or not, you should bring your child to see a therapist like myself to help with assessment.
Teens are much better able to verabalize and express their emotions than younger children, and like adults, they can usually self-report their symptoms of depression. If you have a very conflicted relationship with your teen, however, he or she may not be willing to share these symptoms with you.
Teens are very likely to idealize people who are not their parents or caregivers in their quest to become separate and independent. I make use of this tendency by providing a safe and supportive environment that offers unconditional support and respect, so teens can practice becoming the people they want to be. I make sure that teens always know that they are in control and that whatever we do together, we do on their terms.
I teach teens skills that both help with depression and also help them relate better to others socially, such as mindfulness based therapy, and I work actively with teens to serve as positive male role model. In my work through Blackbird Family Therapy, Inc., I organize therapeutic meditation nature trips for teens to teach mindfulness based cognitive therapy and social skills.