Treating Depression
Depression is one of the most common conditions we treat, and one of the most undertreated. It affects mood, energy, sleep, concentration, and motivation in ways that can be difficult to recognize from the inside. Many patients arrive having tried one medication that did not work, or having been told to wait and see. Others have lived with symptoms for years without realizing that what they were experiencing had a name and a treatment.
Our approach starts with understanding the full picture: what you are experiencing now, what has been tried before, what worked and what did not, and what else may be contributing. Treatment for depression is not one-size-fits-all, and getting it right often means looking beyond the obvious.
We treat depression in adults, children and adolescents, and older adults.
How We Evaluate Depression
Every patient at Everhealth begins with a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. The core process is the same for every condition: a clinical interview, validated assessments completed before your visit, a review of your personal and family history, and a collaborative discussion about findings and next steps.
For depression specifically, the evaluation places particular emphasis on several areas: the severity and duration of your symptoms, your history with previous treatments and how you responded to them, the functional impact on your daily life, sleep patterns and changes in energy or motivation, and ruling out other conditions that can look like depression, including bipolar disorder.
Your pre-visit assessments are tailored based on what you share in your intake. If depression is a concern, you will receive screening tools designed to measure its severity and help your provider establish a clinical baseline before you sit down together.
How We Treat Depression
Treatment for depression typically involves several components working together. Your provider builds a plan around your specific situation, and that plan evolves as treatment progresses.
Medication Management
When medication is appropriate, your provider will discuss which options are best suited to your history and symptoms. If you have tried medications before, that history matters. We review what was tried, at what dose, for how long, and why it did or did not work. Finding the right medication can take time, and adjustments are a normal part of the process.
Psychoeducation
Understanding your condition is part of treating it. Your provider helps you learn what depression looks like in your specific case, how treatment works, what realistic timelines look like, and how to recognize early signs of change, both improvement and setback.
Lifestyle and Coping Strategies
Treatment goes beyond medication. For depression, sleep quality, physical activity, daily structure, and stress management all play a meaningful role. Your provider works with you on concrete, practical strategies that are specific to your situation, not generic advice.
Ongoing Monitoring
Depression is not a condition you treat once and move on from. Follow-up visits track your progress, reassess symptoms, and adjust your plan as needed. Treatment plans evolve as more information emerges over the course of care.
Coordination of Care
When therapy, primary care involvement, or other support would benefit your treatment, we help coordinate that. We do not provide standalone psychotherapy, but we recommend the type of therapy most appropriate for your situation, point you toward resources to find a therapist, and provide referrals when needed. If you already have a therapist, we coordinate care with them directly.
TMS for Depression
For patients who have not responded adequately to medication, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) may be an option. TMS is a non-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment that uses targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain involved in mood regulation.
TMS is not a first-line treatment. It is typically considered when one or more medication trials have not produced sufficient improvement. The psychiatrist, Dr. Nazarani, directly evaluates and treats all TMS patients.
Who We Treat
In addition to adults, we treat depression in the following age groups, each of which requires a tailored approach.
Children and Adolescents
Depression in children and adolescents does not always present the way most people expect. Irritability, withdrawal, declining school performance, and changes in sleep can all be signs. Evaluation includes developmental context and, where appropriate, input from parents or guardians. TMS is also available for adolescent depression when medication has not been sufficient.
Learn more about care for children and adolescents →Older Adults
Depression in older adults is often underdiagnosed, sometimes mistaken for normal aging or overshadowed by other medical conditions. Medication management in this population requires particular attention to interactions with other prescriptions, sensitivity to side effects, and co-occurring health concerns.
Learn more about care for older adults →Not Sure Where You Stand?
The PHQ-9 is a validated screening tool used widely in clinical practice to measure the severity of depression symptoms. It is not a diagnosis, and only a qualified provider can make a clinical determination. But it can give you a starting point.
Take the PHQ-9 Depression Screening →If your results concern you, we are here to help.
Common Questions
Depression is more than feeling sad. It can include persistent low mood, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, changes in sleep or appetite, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt. If these symptoms have been present for more than two weeks and are affecting your daily life, a psychiatric evaluation can help clarify what is going on.
Not necessarily. Medication is one tool in the treatment plan, and it is only recommended when clinically appropriate. Your provider will discuss the options with you and explain the reasoning behind any recommendation.
Every situation is different. Some patients see improvement within weeks of starting treatment. Others require more time, medication adjustments, or additional interventions. Your provider works with you to set realistic expectations and track progress throughout.
That is one of the most common things we hear. A medication not working does not mean medication cannot work. It may mean the wrong medication was tried, the dose was not optimized, or the treatment was not given enough time. Your evaluation includes a thorough review of what has been tried so we can make more informed decisions going forward. For patients who have not responded to medication, TMS may also be an option.
We do not provide standalone psychotherapy. Our treatment approach includes psychoeducation, lifestyle guidance, and coping strategies as part of every visit. When talk therapy would benefit your treatment, we recommend the type of therapy most appropriate for your situation, point you toward resources to find a therapist, and provide referrals when needed. If you already have a therapist, we coordinate care with them directly.
Yes. Depression can be a recurring condition for some people. Part of ongoing care is monitoring for early signs of recurrence and having a plan in place if symptoms return. This is one of the reasons ongoing follow-up visits matter.
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If you or someone you care about is dealing with depression, the first step is a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. It is where we begin to understand what is going on and build a plan that is specific to your situation.