What Are the Main Types of Depression?
Major depressive disorder is diagnosed when five or more symptoms appear together for at least two weeks. One must be in a low mood or a loss of interest in things you used to enjoy. The others include changes in sleep, appetite, energy, and concentration. Persistent depressive disorder isn’t as intense day to day. In adults, it lasts two years or more, and relief never lasts longer than two months at a stretch. Seasonal affective disorder returns each year, usually starting in fall or winter, though a smaller group has it in summer.
Bipolar disorder includes depressive episodes that look like major depression. Those episodes alternate with periods of unusually high energy or elevated mood, which can include racing thoughts or little need for sleep. The alternating pattern calls for a different approach than depression alone. Postpartum depression starts during pregnancy or after delivery, and it doesn’t fade within about two weeks the way the baby blues do. It can also interfere with caring for yourself and your baby.
When Does Low Mood Become Depression?
For two weeks or more, low or empty feelings fill most of your days, and things you used to enjoy no longer interest you. Sleep may change, with some people having trouble falling asleep and others sleeping far more than usual. Appetite and weight can increase or decrease. Fatigue despite rest, trouble concentrating, and guilt with no clear cause are common too. Some people feel slowed down, while others can’t sit still. Thoughts of death or self-harm call for an assessment right away.
Some adults notice irritability or unexplained aches long before they feel sad. Others keep meeting deadlines while dinner and weekends fall away. A low mood tied to a clear cause, such as a loss or a bad week, usually eases within days. Depression lingers for weeks and doesn’t stay out of your work or your relationships. According to SAMHSA’s 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 20.6% of U.S. adults, or 54.6 million people, had any mental illness in the past year. Depression is one of the conditions behind those numbers.
What Happens at Your First Depression Assessment?
Depression treatment in Massachusetts begins with an assessment by a licensed clinician. You describe your symptoms, when they started, and how they’ve affected your sleep and workdays. The assessment also covers your psychiatric and medical history and any medications you take now. Next, we ask safety questions, and your answers help us decide the level of care we recommend. Same-day assessments are available.
From there, the team creates a plan based on your diagnosis and history. The plan names your therapies and how often you’ll attend. Family members can join planning sessions when you want them there. You leave with a diagnosis and a recommended level of care.
We’re In-Network With Most Major Insurance Providers
Cost shouldn’t stand between you and treatment. Brook Behavioral Health is in-network with major insurance providers nationwide, and your plan may cover a significant portion — if not all — of the cost of care.
Our admissions team will verify your benefits, explain your coverage in plain language, and tell you exactly what to expect in out-of-pocket costs before you commit to anything. If you don’t have insurance, we’ll walk you through the options available to you.
Three Levels of Depression Care Available
Our depression treatment program in Massachusetts runs at three levels, and each one matches a different amount of need. The partial hospitalization program (PHP) fills your daytime hours with group therapy and individual check-ins. You’re home each night to sleep. Days follow a set schedule, so a shapeless week gets some structure back. PHP also includes family therapy.
The intensive outpatient program (IOP) meets in person for group therapy several days a week, with individual sessions on a lighter schedule. Standard outpatient care is the lightest level, and many people land there once the intensive schedule ends. Regular sessions there continue outpatient depression treatment in Massachusetts as your symptoms steady. Both PHP and IOP run in person at our Abington location on the South Shore.
How Do PHP and IOP Differ for Depression?
The difference comes down to hours, days, and how much supervision you require. PHP offers the most hours with full-day sessions and the most oversight. So a dip in mood gets noticed and addressed quickly. IOP is fewer hours and half-day sessions several times weekly. You still receive supervision during your visits, but should be comfortable managing symptoms in between on your own using the skills and tools you developed. You are also free to move between care levels as symptoms improve or if you feel like you need more supervision.
Choosing between PHP and IOP for depression depends on four factors:
- Symptom severity
- Daily functioning
- Safety
- The support you need now
We work through all four with you at your initial assessment. You are never rushed through care and progress through levels at your own pace. We work with you to help determine when you feel ready to transition from one program to the next.
Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval®
Accreditation from the Joint Commission validates our commitment to providing our clients with a safe and nurturing environment. It reflects our continuous efforts to enhance the quality of our programs and services, ensuring that we adhere to evidence-based practices and industry best practices.
Therapies We Use for Depression
Depression therapy in Massachusetts should match what you’re dealing with day to day. One person may lie awake with negative thoughts. Another may struggle to leave the house for days. After your assessment, we choose therapies that fit your symptoms and goals. We review your progress and change the therapies when something isn’t working. Here are four of the therapies we offer for depression:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): teaches you to catch the thought patterns behind a low mood and test them against what happens in your day.
- Individual therapy: gives you one-on-one sessions with a licensed therapist to work through your history, stressors, and goals.
- Group therapy: puts you in guided sessions with other adults, where you practice coping skills and hear how others handle low stretches.
- Family therapy: helps the people closest to you understand depression and respond on a hard day.
Mindfulness and stress-reduction practices are also part of IOP and give you quick tools for a rough hour at work. You and your therapist set goals in plain terms, such as sleeping through the night or finishing a full work week. You review progress on a regular schedule. The plan changes as you meet each goal. Sleep and energy often return in a different order for each person, so a slow week doesn’t mean the plan has failed. When a goal stalls, we adjust the approach at the next session.