Best Treatment for Depression
Depression is a mental condition that goes beyond everyday sadness, it causes severe, long-lasting symptoms, and interferes with a person’s ability to perform daily tasks. There is a high prevalence of depression worldwide.
Untreated depression leads to a lower quality of life, a higher suicide risk, and poorer physical outcomes if combined with other medical conditions.Almost twice as many people with depression die than those without the disorder.
In this blog post, we will discuss the initial treatment of depression in adults.
Depression is generally treated with antidepressant medication, saint treatment for depression, and psychotherapy. If a person with depression has symptoms, their primary care doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe medications to ease these symptoms. Nevertheless, many people with depression also benefit from seeing a psychiatrist, psychologist, or mental health professional.
A combination of treatments is more effective than either treatment on its own. Studies have, however, also shown that both treatments are effective and comparable when given alone.
Listed below are a few depression treatment options.
Antidepressants
Several types of antidepressants are available. Consult your doctor or pharmacist about possible major side effects.
The most common medications are:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
- Atypical antidepressants.
- Serotonin modulators.
Antidepressants that are older and less commonly used include:
- Tricyclic antidepressants.
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
Saint Treatment for Depression
Stanford Intelligent Accelerated Neuromodulation Treatment is also known as SAINT. The saint treatment for depression protocol utilizes a special form of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation called Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation. It delivers 1800 pulses per hour for 5 days, 10 times per day, and lasts less than 10 minutes each hour. SAINT utilized a brain imaging technique to pinpoint the target area of magnetic stimulation.
Finding the Right Medication
Taking an antidepressant that has helped a family member might help you as well. Or you may have to try several medications before you find one that works. As your body adjusts to the medication, some medications require several weeks or longer to take full effect and to ease side effects.
You may be able to tell how your body may react to antidepressants based on inherited traits. Genetic tests can offer clues about how your body will respond. Your response to medication, however, can be affected by other factors besides genetics.
When Do Antidepressants Start Working?
A lot of people feel better after taking antidepressants within one to two weeks, but they usually take some time to work. The people who start to feel better right away seem to be more likely to recover completely. As a result, healthcare providers may wait up to 12 weeks before deciding if an antidepressant will be effective enough after seeing the full effect of the medication.
In case you don’t experience much relief after two to four weeks, you might want to adjust your treatment plan. You may need to increase your dose, add another medication, switch medications, or try something else.
Stopping Medication Abruptly Has Risks
Antidepressants are non-addictive, but you may develop dependence (different from addiction) if you stop taking them without talking to your doctor first.
You should gradually and safely decrease your dose and avoid abruptly stopping a treatment or skipping several doses. Quitting abruptly can worsen depression.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy or talk therapy is a treatment method that involves talking about your mental health problems and conditions with a mental health professional.
Depression can be treated with a variety of specific types of psychotherapy. Therapists use a variety of techniques when working with patients, so they can use a combination of techniques to treat depression.
Each works in its way, but all are proven to help alleviate depression symptoms.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) – It focuses on the underlying causes of current problems, focusing on how behaviors, thoughts, and feelings relate, and changing patterns that interfere with functioning.
- Interpersonal psychotherapy – It focuses on your relationships with other people, the way you interact with them, and the different roles you play. You may learn new ways to interact that help improves the relationships in your life.
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) – MBCT transforms unhelpful thoughts into kinder, more loving self-perceptions by combining cognitive therapy and mindfulness meditation strategies.
- Problem-solving therapy – A problem-solving therapist works with you to find effective solutions to problems in your life through a systematic and practical approach. When you are unemployed, for instance, you work with your therapist to devise action steps you can take to reach your job goal.
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy – Through psychodynamic therapy, you can gain an understanding of how your past experiences are shaping your present behavior and reduce their influence.
Comparison of Psychotherapy with Antidepressants
Research says that psychotherapy is approximately as effective as antidepressants on average. It is important to note that one advantage of psychotherapy is that its effects often persist even after treatment ends, whereas antidepressant effects typically wear off relatively quickly when the drug is discontinued or tapered.
The combination of psychotherapy and antidepressants may be the best approach since people who stop taking antidepressants to have a higher risk of relapse.
Other Treatments & Procedures
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The purpose of ECT is to reduce depression by passing electrical currents through the brain to impact neurotransmitters and modulate their function. When antidepressants are not effective, or when patients are at high suicide risk, ECT may be recommended.
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In TMS, brief magnetic pulses are sent to the brain to stimulate the part of your brain that controls mood. It may be a suitable option for those who haven’t responded to antidepressants.
Let us Improve Your Depression Treatment With Nahil Chohan Founder of Healizm
Nahil Chohan Founded the Healizm. Nahil Psychiatry Services PLLC is a Board-Certified Best Female Psychiatrist in Brooklyn. We offer prescription medications, depression treatment in Brooklyn, Brooklyn psychotherapy services, energy healing, and yoga services. Healizm Is also Advanced Center for Psychotherapy.
Healizm aims to bring the brain back to optimal health. We are here to help you with your Depression Treatment so that you can live a happier life. Our staff can assist with depression and anxiety.
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