Hi Josh,
First of all, it is entirely up to you what details you disclose up your situation, and if you want to disclose anything. Just know this is a safe, non-judgmental space, filled with people who have gone through mental illness of their own, care for someone who has, or maybe they still are. It can be scary, but you are entirely anonymous here, and talking about what is going on in our life can be one of the most beneficial treatments out there. But, it is 100% your choice.
In terms of the treatments you have mentioned. I am a student of psychology, and lookingforpeace is right in that different psychologists tend to have preferences for different styles of treatment. However, treatments like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy are by far the most popular out there and have shown really positive results in a wide array of individuals. The thing is though, CBT is more of a framework than anything else, no two individuals are the same, and CBT allows for very specific tailoring of your treatment. But at its most basic level, we target the underlying problematic thought patterns at the root of the condition, we work on turning negative thought patterns into positive ones, and work with you to rewire how you behave in response to those thought patterns. Illnesses can be highly cyclic, for example a person experiencing depression may have extremely low self-esteem and feel like they have know friends or loved ones. They may think that they aren't good enough. This is a negative thought pattern. However they may also reinforce this thought pattern through action by perceiving how people respond to them in a negative way, staying home, not talking to people, all of these behaviours that confirm what they feel is their lack of worth. So that's just one example of how CBT can work. But it is much more diverse than that.
You know yourself best Josh, so one thing you can do is find something that calms you down or distracts you when things get bad, like listening to music, playing a game, exercise etc. But try to be conscious as to whether this activity is positive, try to avoid activities that just assist you in ruminating about what is going on.
I'd be more than willing to talk to you about this more but i'm almost at the posting limit. Their are plenty of resources on this website that can help you with these strategies. I posted my personal method in the "treatment" thread.
Nice to meet you Josh,
Sawyer
