Probably the greatest segment of getting through depression of any type is depression treatment. You have to find the right balance of treatments for depression to handle the duration and individual depression type to effect some change and find your way out of its grasp.
The vast majority of people who get treatment for depression have noted significant change in the way they feel. Out of these, the ones that report the most change are the ones who do a combination of medication and verbal therapies because they bolster one another’s effectiveness. In addition to drug and verbal (‘talk’) therapies, there are other forms of treatment for depression which include herbal and electrically based therapies.
Talking it Out
There are many medical practitioners trained in mental illness and depression but it is best to seek therapy from someone who is trained to handle your specific form of depression. Whether you choose an arrangement that lasts only a few months or one that lasts a number of years depends on how you feel about the talk therapy and what issues you need to work out from your depression.
You may find that you start out wanting only a short term of therapy, but once you get moving you want to continue for a longer period to help you sort out your life. You may also find that the opposite is true, you want a long term depression therapy arrangement but you work out the issues and see significant improvement quickly. These are things that are handled on an individual basis between doctor and patient.
Types of Talk Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – this therapy is designed to show you how your own behavior and thoughts impact the depression. It focuses on the negative behavior and thought patterns that become ingrained in a person who suffers from depression and teaches how to break out of the patterns
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) – this form of therapy zeros in on how your interpersonal relationships affect depression. This can focus on the negative or positive relationships you have and teach you what relationships are beneficial and detrimental to your mental health
Psychodynamic Therapy (Traditional Therapy) – this therapy gets to the base of where your problem started by discussing your history and the way things in your past shaped your life and may have led you to depression. This is usually long term therapy
Drug Therapy
There are many different types of chemical depression treatments and each can be specially formulated and dosed to be effective for your depression and individual type.
Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) – commonly known by the names Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil and Lexapro; these drugs can cause unpleasant side effects like upset stomach, insomnia, headaches and sexual dysfunction
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) and Tricyclic Antidepressants – these are the older generation of depression treatment. They have fairly serious side effects and are typically not in use due to the availability of newer drugs with fewer or milder side effects.
The New Breed – the new treatments for depression have mild side effects and come with the additional ability to treat chronic pain that often comes with depression. The side effects are similar to SSRIs and include upset stomach, sexual dysfunction, weakness and dizziness.
Other Types of Therapy
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)– electric charges create a seizure in the patient which can alter the chemical balance in the brain. This therapy is used on people who do not respond to drug treatment. Up to 90% of patients find rapid results with the only side effect being temporary short term memory loss.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) – a small electric generator device (similar to a pacemaker) is places in the chest of th patient with wires attached to the vagus nerve (a nerve that connects the neck to the brain). Electric charges are sent through the nerve to alter the chemical balance in the brain and regulate the mood. The device can be put in place as an outpatient procedure and is safe and effective.
Herbal Therapy – St. John’s Wort and Ginko Biloba are the most popular herbs used to treat depression. They have been used for over a millennium in Eastern medicine as depression therapies even though their effectiveness has yet to be proven in Western medicine.
Acupuncture/Acupressure – acupuncture is an ancient Chinese form of homeopathic medicine using fine needles that stimulate internal responses to illnesses and balancing the internal chemistry. Acupressure does the same thing using pressure points on the body.
