Top 11 Depression Therapies to Get Rid of Your Depressive Disorder Today
Depression therapies aim at reducing the symptoms of the disorder that affect daily life of the patient and preventing recurrence at the same time. Mode of treatment used depends greatly on the characteristics or severity of the disorder. One treatment can be used alone or combined with other therapies in order to increase the chance of success.
Mild depressions are treated with change in lifestyle (exercise, relaxation ...) and / or psychotherapy. For moderate to severe depressive disorders, different types of antidepressant agents are now available. The drugs target serotonin neurons, norepinephrine or dopamine with, more recently, the emergence of a new concept. Depression is increasingly seen as a cognitive disorder, whose symptoms - impaired concentration, memory, decision making, etc. - need to be taken into consideration. Negligence to proper treatment can lead to serious complication such as suicide.
But sometimes even if the patient seeks for medical help the treatments do not really work. When first line of treatment fails, other drugs such as ketamine, glutamate inhibitor, an anesthetic and analgesic, may be recommended. A systematic review of the medical literature found that the results are "in favor of a rapid and powerful efficacy of ketamine used intravenously at sub-anesthetic doses. The positive effects are observed on depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts without adverse effects. However the number of subjects (in the hospital setting) is still limited and few data are available on the addictive risk and medium- and long-term effects.
Finally, to treat the most resistant cases, deep brain stimulation - which involves implanting two electrodes in the brain - is being tested. Very few patients have been treated with this technique; its safety is still controversial. It would allow the 60% reduction of symptoms.
Here are some other alternative depression treatments
1. Healthy and Lifestyle
Eat fruits, vegetables, fish, vegetable oils and whole grains are rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins, selenium, zinc, iron... Deficiency in these nutrients may play a role in the development of depression symptoms. The practice of "aerobic" activity (brisk walking, jogging, biking ...), at least five times a week, helps reduce the symptoms of mild depression. Tobacco and alcohol, which have established a link with depression, should be avoided.
2. Psychological Support
Sometimes counseling is essential. The types of support, individual or group, must vary depending on the need of the depressed individual. Psychotherapy can be of support, short or long term, or cognitive behavioral (CBT). It can also be a psychoanalytic treatment. Recently, emerging therapies based on video games (serious games) where patients create characters for staging. Adult Coloring books may also help.
3. Relaxation
This practice help alleviates anxiety and can be practiced as during or after a depression. But sometimes negative thoughts are too invasive. So it is better to appeal to a competent professional to help you in the meditating process. You can also search Youtube for guided medication. Beware of any form of meditation that will lead to invocation of satanic spirits.
4. Meditation
A meditation program has been specially adapted to depression, MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy). At a rate of 8 sessions of two hours, it would help not only to reduce severe depression symptoms but also decrease the risk for the risk of relapse. This practice is now integrated with patients in the hospital. A different program, the MBSR (stress reduction based on mindfulness), can also be used to reduce stress and anxiety.
5. Light Therapy
This therapy is mostly used to treat Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression. It occurs most often in winter, when sunlight is scarce. Recurrent and transient it is nonetheless difficult to cross. To remedy this, the patient need to be exposed for about 30 minutes in the morning to the white or blue light of a lamp approved (no UV or infrared) 10 000 lux. Or simply walk by the light of day for 30 minutes also.
6. Anxiolytics
Also called tranquilizers, stresam (Etifoxine), Valium (diazepam), Temesta (lorazepam), Xanax (Alprazolam), they are used to fight against anxiety and stress. They belong to various chemical families, the most famous being that of benzodiazepines. Their action is very fast - a few hours - but associated with frequent side effects. They are also associated with significant risk of dependency. This is why they should not be used for more than 12 weeks or without medical supervision.
7. Antidepressants
These are psychotropic drugs acting on mood. Most common include Paxil, Citalopram, Seroplex, and Prozac. Thirty molecules are available. Some have a stimulating effect, other sedative. For optimal efficiency, the treatment should last at least six months, sometimes longer, up to one to two years. Their therapeutic effect is often done gradually. They must be involved in psychological counseling.
8. Electroconvulsive
Also called electro-convulsive therapy or ECT, it is a technique reserved for resistant and severe depression. An electric current is administered to the patient by electrodes placed on the skull, causing a generalized seizure. Its mode of action remains unclear but its action, almost immediately, is recognized. It is always performed in hospital and under general anesthesia.
9. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (STM)
This technique reserved for severe cases, uses a magnetic coil which, by acting on certain brain areas such as the cortex, stimulate the release of neurotransmitters. Cures or ten sessions three times a week, is practiced mostly in hospitals or in private practice. This is an alternative to electroshock.
10. Hypnosis, EMDR
These psychotherapeutic techniques can be practiced alone or in combination with another treatment, but must be performed by a trained specialist. They are based on the suggestion, relaxation, release-taking. The frequency and number of sessions vary widely. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, "desensitization and reprogramming by eye movement"), or new hypnosis is a variant based on eye movements.
11. Behavioral activation
Depression is topic of the day, every day, in western countries. Depressed people are desperately looking for a therapy that can help them overcome the disorder without taking dangerous drugs, which most of the times do not really work and may cause lifetime side effects. If you are one of them, or are looking to help a friend with depression, this new therapy may help you.
Depressive disorders affect more than 350 million people worldwide. Untreated depressed individuals will represent a cost of more than $ 5 billion by 2030. In many countries, access to proper care is still limited to people who have the means to pay for it. Some people, however, cannot afford to pay for treatments. They need a less expensive therapeutic mean to fight the disorder.
Discover how Behavioral activation can help you safely.
Behavioral activation therapy is based on action, not thought, or taking medications. New studies reveal it would be just as effective as the current psychotherapies for depression, but above all, cheaper. It helps depressed people to change their behavior instead of just their negative thoughts. However, that does not mean the patient will continue nourish depressive thoughts.
A new study published on thelancet.com found that behavioral activation (BA) is one form of psychotherapy as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat depression. Its main goal is to change the behavior of depressed people.
Changing the behavior equals to treat the depressive disorder
Behavioral activation therapy helps depressed individuals to change their behavior by establishing a link between mood and attitude. In recent study, this therapy, provided by a group of young undergraduate students in psychology, allows patients to find solutions to the problems they face in everyday life and to find alternatives to control debilitating behavior. In other words, BA helps people identify and change negative thoughts through their own actions.
The study involved 440 English adults suffering with clinical depression. Of these, 221 received 20 sessions of behavioral activation therapy delivered by young workers without degrees in psychology, and 219 attended 20 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (delivered by psychologists. The results are amazing, considerable reduced depression symptoms are observed.
After a year of treatment, the results showed that BA was not less effective than cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat depression. In each group, about two-thirds of participants reported fewer severe depression symptoms than before. Also, patients in both groups have spent as many days without depressive symptoms or anxiety.
20% Saving per Therapy
Besides its effectiveness, this new depression helps save about 20% of the total cost. The study reports that the BA costs about $1281.65 per patient, against $1625.41 for CBT. This price difference is explained by the salary of practitioners. The reason is because professionals who practiced sessions of the behavioral activation therapy have lower salaries than psychologists. In addition, other fees associated with the therapy are lower.
Anti Depression Diet
In combination with the therapy, it is important to adopt a good diet containing healthy fats which can fight any form of depressive disorder you may experience. Regardless you want to to help a friend with depression or for your own, you need to know what foods to eat. Some “good fats” are found to be associated with good mental health. Although the media leads most people to believe fat is destructive to health, according to numerous studies, insufficient consumption of "good fats", omega 3 for instance, predisposes certain mental illnesses, including depression. Conversely, having a healthy diet depressed individuals to feel and improve self-esteem.
There are various types of lipids (fats) in vegetable foods which do not have the same constituents; therefore, do not accomplish the same functions in our body. Unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) are considered "good fats"; they help prevent the development of not only mental disorders but also cardiovascular disease by their antiatherogenic, cholesterol-lowering and anti-thrombogenic effects.
Among the UFAs include distinguished monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), the most famous being oleic acid (omega 9), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), with the famous omega 3 which inhibit platelet aggregation and therefore favor blood fluidity. These fats also help prevent coronary damage, reduce the incidence of certain cancers. In addition, they are involved in the physiology of the nervous system, which make them ideal to reduce the risk of depression, stress, anxiety...
It is therefore recommended to use healthy fats in your anti depression diet along with any type of new therapy you are undergoing. Getting adequate intake of omega 3 by consuming foods that are rich in it such as fatty fishes (tuna, salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies...), certain oilseeds (flaxseed, hempseed...), nuts (walnuts and others), and organic eggs from chickens fed naturally.