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What Depression Therapy Actually Works?

by Rachel Broune

Depression is a disorder which affects mind and body in a number of ways. It has many symptoms. They include loss of energy and lack of concentration and attempt suicide. Depression can be caused by an unbalanced state of mind or some physical factor.

The various options for the treatment of depression varies from medication to psychotherapy to self help. Study suggests relaxation techniques may improve symptoms of depression (definitely in the case of mild depression).

Talking to someone close to you can go a long way in keeping away the blues. Your spouse/partner, your parents, your siblings or your close friends can be your pillar of strength during this depressive phase. Always remember… those who love you, will not judge you based on your weaknesses and will definitely give you the support you need.

The biggest problem with depression is how it affects the lives of those who live or work with the person with the condition; now after many years of research, medicine has recognized a number of types all with slightly different symptoms. Even though there are number of types, they are all based around some issue in the life of the affected person that has never been resolved; almost every person will suffer from it (usually to a lesser degree) from time to time during their lives.

Depressive illnesses make you feel exhausted, worthless, helpless and hopeless. Such negative thoughts and feelings make some people feel like giving up. It is important to realize that these negative views are part of the depression and typically do not accurately reflect your situation. Negative thinking fades as treatment begins to take effect.

In a therapy process, the person is exposed to a therapist who advices the patient to balance his thoughts. The depressed person can also consult a doctor and prescribe suitable drugs to deal with different cases of depression. People are often hospitalized so that they do not hurt themselves being influenced by their own depression. Proper care is taken for them. In severe cases shock treatment is also used. The patient is given electric shocks to let out the internal shocks which are caused by the depression.

If there is no obvious cause for the depression, or if reactive depression persists longer than might be expected, or if you are having suicidal thoughts, more aggressive therapy is needed. This means drug therapy and, possibly, hospitalization. The mainstay of drug treatment has long been a group of medications called tricyclic antidepressants, including amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Tofranil), and nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor). These drugs do not take effect immediately, so a test period of at least two weeks is necessary to determine whether they are working.



Rachel Broune writes articles for depression treatments. He also writes for alternative medicines and mental health.