Depression: Treatment Types
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Depression: Treatment Types
For most people, treating their depression is simple and highly effective. Yet, many people with depression don't seek help or receive the treatment they need because they feel hopeless and think help won't make a difference. Then there are others who feel embarrassed, scared, or think that they can "tough it out."
If you think you might be depressed, it's important to seek help from a health-care professional. Then, if you're diagnosed with depression, you and your health-care professional can devise a treatment plan that's best for you.
Treatment plans for depression are unique to each person. They might involve medication, therapy, self-help, electric shock therapy, or other forms of treatment.
Before Starting Treatment
Before beginning any treatment for depression, your health-care professional will need to know some important information about you and your health. He or she will ask you questions about your medical history. For example, it is important to know if you have other medical conditions, such as heart disease, thyroid problems, epilepsy, or liver disease. This is important information because some medical illnesses can cause depression or make it worse.
You will also need to tell your health-care professional about any medications you are taking, because some medications can cause or worsen depression. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal or natural remedies. Other medications can interact with antidepressant drugs, which can cause dangerous side-effects.
It is also very important to know whether you have any allergies to medications. This may influence the type of antidepressant your health-care professional prescribes.
Your health-care professional will also want to know whether you have a family history of depression or other psychiatric conditions. A family history of this condition could influence the type of treatment that will work best for you.
The type of job you have and activities you normally engage in are important too. If you operate machinery or drive a vehicle, it's important that the medication you take does not make you drowsy.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you must tell your health-care professional. It's also important for your health-care professional to know if you are trying to or become pregnant during treatment. These issues, which are unique to women, make certain treatment options more favorable than others.
Your health-care professional may want to perform a complete physical examination too. You might have a medical condition you are not aware of that is causing or contributing to your depression. A physical examination along with some simple tests can reveal if this is the case.
Questions and Answers
Your health-care professional will likely ask a number of other questions to get a better understanding of your health and your life. It's in your best interest to be completely open and honest, because it helps in determining what treatment options are best for you.
If you are seeing more than one health-care professional during the course of your depression, you should make all of them aware of any medical conditions, medications, medication allergies, and other personal medical information. It will cut down on possible clashes in medications, for example.
Types of Treatment for Depression
If you're depressed, there are many effective treatment options available. Most people who are depressed can expect to start feeling better as a result of treatment within as little as three weeks. Different treatment options include:
The treatment plan that is best for you may be very different from that of other people with depression. Often, a combination of treatments results in the greatest improvement, both short- and long-term.
Medication
The goal of medication therapy is usually to manage the symptoms of depression while treating the illness. It's hoped that with medication, the depressed person will feel better and be able to return to their normal, day-to-day activities.
Medicines used to specifically treat depression are known as antidepressants. There are many different types, or classes, of antidepressants, and each works in slightly different ways. In general, however, antidepressants may help by fixing chemical imbalances in the brain that are often found in people with depression. These chemicals, known as neurotransmitters, are responsible for relaying messages in the brain.
It Takes Time
Each antidepressant works a little differently, but it's important to realize that medication will not make you better overnight. Many people will start to improve within three to four weeks after beginning their medication. But the road to recovery can be quite rocky. You will likely experience both good and bad days.
It can also take some time to find the right medication for you. The medication you are started on won't necessarily be the one that works for you. You may need to switch your medication if it's not working or if you have too many side effects.
And it Takes Patience
Many patients are tempted to stop taking their antidepressant medication too soon. When they feel better, they think they're cured. It's very important that you resist this temptation! Stopping your medication early can cause your depression to return, and some medications must be stopped gradually to give your body time to adjust. In general, you should stay on you medication a minimum of six months after you feel better.
For some, taking medication will have to become a part of everyday life to prevent recurrences.
Make sure you take your antidepressant medication correctly, carefully following your health-care professional's instructions.
OtherTreatments
Medications other than antidepressants may occasionally be used to treat depression. Benzodiazepines, also called minor tranquilizers, are sometimes used to treat anxiety that can accompany depression or help a depressed person sleep.
Mood stabilizers are sometimes used in the treatment of depression, especially bipolar disorder.
Other medications are occasionally used to help an antidepressant work better. This technique is called augmentation.
Psychotherapy
The word psychotherapy covers a wide range of treatments. The most common type of psychotherapy involves talking with a health-care professional about your past and present experiences, relationships, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It can help you learn new behaviors and coping strategies to deal with your depression.
There can also be many other goals of psychotherapy, and these goals often depend on what type of psychotherapy is undertaken. Such goals include understanding the different aspects of your depression, relief of your depressive symptoms, and psychological maturation.
The ultimate goal of all psychotherapy is to help you identify your problems and solve them.
In addition to talking there are many other methods of psychotherapy. Art, music, dance, and movement therapies are just a few that use more than "talk" to get relief.
Finding a Therapist
Many different qualified health-care professionals are involved in psychotherapy. Whatever their background, whether they're a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker, or other qualified professional, it's important that you and your therapist are a good fit.
Psychotherapies used in the treatment of depression are usually short-term (six months or less). It is often most successful when combined with an antidepressant medication.
Self-help
Self-help options are valuable additions to your treatment plan for depression. Self-help can come in the form of support groups, books, or any other strategy that helps you to deal with your depression.
One example is a self-help program called COPE, which was designed by at team of U.S. doctors to provide affordable, effective treatment for depression. COPE is an eight-week program based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, aimed at increasing pleasant activities and mastering assertiveness skills.
It consists of 11 automated telephone calls and seven booklets. If you are interested in COPE, contact Healthcare Technology Systems at (608) 827-2456 or e-mail: COPE@healthtechsys.com.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) which really is electrical stimulation therapy is another treatment option sometimes used in the treatment of depression. It's very effective for the treatment of severe depression, when the risk of suicide can be very high.
ECT is also occasionally used when a medical illness makes the use of antidepressants risky. It may even be used in pregnancy to avoid exposing the unborn baby to antidepressants.
Today, ECT is generally well tolerated with few side-effects. There may be a temporary memory loss for recent events after each treatment, but this improves with time.
How it Works
During ECT, mild electrical stimulation of your brain causes a short, modified seizure. Before the procedure you're given an anesthetic to put you to sleep and another medication to relax your muscles. This way you won't feel the treatment or remember anything about the treatment. Your arms and legs won't move around like someone who is really having a seizure because of the muscle relaxant you're given.
ECT is always performed in a supervised medical environment to ensure your safety and comfort. You will usually receive two or three treatments each week for two to four weeks.
Like with medications for depression, its not really known how ECT works, but it's effective most of the time.
An antidepressant may be necessary after ECT is complete to prevent you from becoming depressed again.
Newer Treatment Options
New strategies are constantly being tried to treat depression. Some of the newer treatments include:
These experimental treatments may or may not work to treat depression. Consult your health-care professional if you have questions about them.
Summary
You don't have to battle depression alone. And there is hope. There are a number of treatment options available in the treatment of depression, so it's important to find the treatment plan that's best for you. Your health-care professional can help you make decisions regarding your treatment.
And remember, not everyone's depression should be treated in the same way. Fortunately, there are many safe and effective options that can make the treatment of your depression relatively easy and successful.
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