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A Quick Look at Various Depression Treatment Methods

 

 

Depression is a mental disorder marked by low mood, general disinterest in all activities, guilt feelings and low self-esteem, insomnia, lack of appetite, decreased energy levels and poor concentration. These symptoms can sometimes be chronic or seasonal and can significantly hinder a person’s ability to handle their day-to-day activities.

No matter what the symptoms are depression cannot be compared to normal sadness since it affects all your daily undertakings thus disrupting your function at work, home and even during your leisure time.

Unfortunately, compared to people other ailments, people with mental illness find it hard to seek help from health professionals. This is despite the fact that the sooner a person begins treatment the better are his/her chances of overcoming the condition.

Contrary to what you may have heard absolute recovery from depression is possible. Even the most severe depression can be treated. Nearly 80% of people with depression respond positively to treatment. On the other hand the sufferer needs to make the first step of seeking treatment if they are to benefit in any way.

The most common mode of treatment for depression involves incorporation of both medication and therapy. Before any treatment is initiated an accurate diagnosis is carried out to establish the type of depression. This is because each type of depression requires different mode of medication or therapy formula for treatment to be effective. Self-diagnosis and self-medication may not always be the most prudent thing to do.

Treatment for depression works very effectively when it addresses all the visible symptoms. The health professional should be able to address the most common main cause of depression, which is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Treatment for depression then aims at correcting this imbalance.

Even though most patients find it hard to express themselves to others, they should try to be more open to their doctors and those close to them. During such times, it is always comforting to have a shoulder to lean on & help one get through the tough times.

Below are some of the available depression treatment options:

1. Medication: this involves the use of drugs commonly refered to as antidepressants. The various types of antidepressants are

  • Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) e.g. amitriptyline
  • MAOI (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors) e.g. isocarboxazid (Marplan).
  • SSRIs (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) .e.g. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil etc
  • Other antidepressants whose mode of action may not be related to any of the above.

Other classes of drugs that are used to treat depression symptoms are

  • Antipsychotic Medication
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Anti-anxiety medications

2. Depression Therapies include:

  • Psychotherapy (Talk Therapy)
  • Electroconvulsive Therapy
  • Light Therapy
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

3. Alternative treatments for depression that have shown to have positive effects on the condition are:

  • Nutritional Supplements and Herbal treatments e.g. St. John Wort, 5-hydroxytryptophan, vitamin supplements
  • Exercise
  • Yoga
  • Meditation

From this list we can conclude that there are many effective ways of curing depression. Understanding these options will definitely help you decide what will work best for your particular symptoms.

Treatment takes time and there’s hardly anything that can be referred to as an instant cures. However if the patient is ready to work on their condition and stick to treatment they will find themselves getting well faster than they had expected.