Treatment Options

Depression can leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Choosing to get treatment what ever form it may be is the first step toward getting over depression. Depression is a very treatable condition with two main forms of treatment. They include antidepressant medication and therapy. Below are detailed descriptions of each type of treatment:

 

·        Antidepressants: This form of treatment has been shown to make significant improvements in a number of people coping with depression. There are several antidepressants available. Your doctor will make the best decision for you based on several different factors. Antidepressants take a little time to begin working. Some say after two weeks you should start to see an improvement in depression however it could take several weeks to see the complete effectiveness of an antidepressant. If an antidepressant has been prescribed for you do not stop taking the medication unless otherwise advised by your physician. Also do not self diagnose yourself with depression and never take an antidepressant unless one has been prescribed for you.

·        Therapy: Therapy involves a person with depression speaking to a qualified professional about their depression. Therapy for many people is the only treatment required to overcome depression. For others therapy combined with antidepressants is needed.

·        Electroconclusive Therapy: ETCis a form of therapy that sends electric charges to the brain and causes small seizures. Patients are given anesthesia during the procedure. The effects of the procedure are fast but typically are not long lasting which is why it is really only used for suicidal patients.

·        Combination Therapy: Often times antidepressants or therapy alone do not work in eliminating depression. That is why the two treatments are commonly used in conjunction with one another. This provides the person suffering from depression the effects of the antidepressant while being able to talk their feelings out with a counselor.