Condition & Symptoms - Level 2
Goal: Continue to build depression knowledge: Understanding of common types of depression, treatments for depression, and reasons to be hopeful.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual is willing to share what they already know about depression and what treatments they have previously tried. If the individual wants to talk about something else, talk about that instead.
- Clearly express the opinion that research supports the combination of medication + psychotherapy as the most effective treatment for depression.
- Talk about individual's mood or mood "numbers" for the past few days. Can he/she "connect" low number days with anything specific? What seems to bring about the higher number days?
- Discuss the individual's prescribed treatment for depression. Have any medications been recommended? Has psychotherapy been recommended? Has exercise/activity been recommended? Find out what the individual's thinks about their prescribed treatment for depression.
- Find out if the individual knows that most depression can be mitigated, or goes away completely, with time and adherence to prescribed treatment.
- Empathize with individual's personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today's health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Invite individual to identify what is a priority for them with regard to how they feel and function.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual is confident they can do things that will help them feel better - what level of confidence do they have using a 0-10 scale of confidence? Find out what actions they feel most confident doing. If individual prefers to talk about something else, talk about that instead.
- Work with individual to choose a small action step to work toward what is important to them. Suggestions: eat one healthy-delicious meal each day, take one short walk each day, spend time with a friend each day, reduce amount of alcohol consumed each day, do something fun each day.
- Talk about individual's mood or mood "numbers" for the past few days. Can he/she "connect" bad mood days with anything specific? What seems to bring about the better mood days?
- Ask individual to commit to taking a small action step to improve mood in the upcoming week.
- Empathize with individual's personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today's health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Work with the individual to ensure that they understand the importance of calling 9-1-1 or speaking with their doctor if there is a plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual wants to talk about what to do if thoughts or planning for suicide and/or death occur. If not, find out what the individual wants to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Find out if the individual has had thoughts of suicide and/or death. If yes, then ask if he/she has any plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts. If the individual acknowledges a plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts, then talk about the need to call 9-1-1 or a doctor. (NOTE: In addition, Health Coach is directed to follow company guidelines in this situation.)
- Together, discuss the difference between thinking about suicide/death and having intention to act on suicidal thoughts.
- Discuss what the individual should do if they have a plan or intention around suicide and/or death. If the individual acknowledges a plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts, then talk about the need to call 9-1-1 or a doctor. (NOTE: In addition, Health Coach is directed to follow company guidelines in this situation.)
- With the individual, role-play a conversation with a 9-1-1 operator or a doctor to report planning or intention to commit suicide.
- Empathize with individual's personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today's health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Continue to instill the importance of key behaviors to mitigate symptoms of depression. Work on one achievable small step change.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if individual wants to talk about their recent moods or their use of a mood tracker. If not, find out what the individual wants to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Find out individual's ideas about what seems to reduce (or increase) their symptoms of depression.
- Find out if individual has poor sleeping habits, which can make depression worse. Does he/she know of any ways to get better quality sleep?
- Find out if the individual thinks there are any benefits of eating at least one healthy-delicious meal each day, taking a short walk each day, reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption, taking medications as prescribed, and spending time with positive people outside the family.
- Ask individual to take notice when a particular behavior makes them feel better.
- Empathize with individual's personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today's health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Help individual understand how the flu, colds and pneumonia can exacerbate depression. Learn how to reduce risk for these acute illnesses.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual would like to talk about how getting a cold or the flu would impact symptoms of depression. If not, find out what he/she would like to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Discuss the warning signs for the cold, including signs that a cold is worsening.
- Discuss the warning signs for the flu and pneumonia.
- Discuss the importance of vaccinations to help prevent the flu and pneumonia.
- Together, make a plan how the individual can get routine prevention screenings and immunized for flu and pneumonia if they haven't done so already.
- Provide individual with praise for participating in today's health coaching session today and provide an interesting supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Start to make a small step change to eliminate or reduce non-prescribed drug use and/or alcohol consumption.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual wants to talk about how non-prescribed drugs and/or alcohol contribute to making depression worse. If not, find out what he/she does want to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Ask individual if they understand how depressants - like alcohol and many drugs - might worsen their symptoms of depression.
- Find out if the individual has already made a connection between drug/alcohol use and mood.
- If the individual acknowledges use of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs, have him/her identify a small step change to begin the process of cutting-back or eliminating non-prescribed drugs and/or alcohol.
- Empathize with individual's personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today's health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Develop awareness of healthy lifestyle guidelines for depression.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual would like to talk about the importance of living a well-rounded healthy lifestyle. If not, learn what he/she does want to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Help individual start to think about what health improvements might help to improve their mood as well.
- Talk about the importance of getting good quality sleep and the effect of poor sleep on depression.
- Help individual become aware of the importance of eliminating non-prescribed drugs and alcohol as a way to improve mood.
- Help individual become aware of the importance of improving mood by having contact with positive people outside the family.
- Empathize with individual's personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today's health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources