5 Basic Treatments for Depression

When we speak of depression and its treatments, we must first recognise that there is more than one type of depression, and that each of them may have a different treatment to alleviate the symptoms and possible cure.

Reactive depression is the result of a major life event, where the person physically and psychologically reacts to in an extreme way. The ultimate type of this disorder would be post- traumatic stress disorder, and then a downward sliding scale of symptoms. The best treatment for this type of depression is talking therapy. This can be with a Psychologist, or counsellor, either in a group or one to one setting. Medical staff may also prescribe an anti-depressant.

Endogenous depression is the result of a chemical imbalance in the body. This type of depression is a little more difficult to treat than a reactive depression. Once again talking therapies are required, however your doctor may prescribe an array of anti-depressants in the first instance, so that the person is at a level where they are motivated enough to take part in the counselling.

Post-natal depression can be difficult to treat if the mother wants to breast feed. The medication can be transferred to the baby whilst feeding. Dependent on the severity of the depression the mother may be admitted to hospital, if a mother and baby unit is available, and dependent of the symptoms, its best to keep mother and baby together to continue to develop their bonding.

ECT (electro- compulsive therapy) is used these days as a last resort. Normally a patient would have been tried on at least three different anti-depressant tablets before prescribing ECT as a treatment.

Life style changes are also required to enhance the likelihood of treatments being successful. A good balanced diet is advised and refraining from alcohol is best whilst your doctor is treating the person.

In summary, these are the most common medical treatments for depression. There are many alternative therapies that can be tried also. So, anti-depressant drugs/tablets, counselling, psychology, ECT and a change in life style can all assist the recovery of the sufferer.