I&#x27;m a clinical psychologist who was in charge of the largest randomized controlled trial of online cognitive behavioral therapy for depression (n=500).<p>There is nothing that annoys me more then the every person is a special snowflake argument for why we can&#x27;t use standardized treatment for mental health problem.<p>Exercise works really well for curing depression. I talked to a depressed patient yesterday who had no idea what he could do to combat his depression. I finally convinced him that if he couldn&#x27;t think of anything else to do he should just try going for a walk and he told me later that it really helped.<p>I&#x27;ve had that exact conversation a hundred times.<p>Almost all patients I meet have the faulty belief that they are special. That they function in a way that is different from others and that often make them resist treatment.<p>Your head is connected to your physical body and therefore we can figure out what helps for everyone in the same way a doctor knows what to do about a broken foot.<p>Did you know that almost half off patients who suffer from anxiety take too shallow breaths and this creates respiratory alkalosis that creates a lot of the anxiety symptoms.<p>Did you know that by breathing calmly you will cure yourself from panic attacks? Forever.<p>Did you know that psychologists know how to cure insomnia in a single session?<p>The biggest hurdle to overcome is the idea that there exists a magic barrier where your disorder goes from being something that you can cure yourself to something you need a professional for. The barrier is an illusion.<p>You always have the power to change your mood for the better.<p>I&#x27;m not saying that therapy isn&#x27;t useful. It is extremely useful and helps people tremendously.<p>I&#x27;m saying that every single individual can make a conscious effort to focus on improving their mental health irregardless of the fact that they are seeing a therapist.<p>Also. Almost every single person is illiterate about how to treat mental health problems.<p>I&#x27;ve been a fairly happy person all my life and I believe I owe it to the fact that I developed excellent coping mechanisms.<p>If you haven&#x27;t got those you need to learn them. Once you have them it gets much easier to have good mental health.<p>I&#x27;m actually working on building free online treatment for depression right now. It is a work in progress but if anyone is interested they can check it out here.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;getpsychologistsnow.com&#x2F;cbt&#x2F;depression&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;getpsychologistsnow.com&#x2F;cbt&#x2F;depression&#x2F;</a>