Depression Treatment

Depression: Treatment – Exercise

Overview. Many people are familiar with the idea that exercise is good for health. The benefits of exercise for heart health, maintaining a healthy weight and managing diabetes are well established. What some people may not know is that exercise is also good for the brain and can help improve mood. Exercise can have antidepressant […]

Depression: Treatment – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Overview. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely-researched therapies for depression. It was initially developed in the late 1970’s for depression and has since been expanded and adapted to treat a variety of mental and behavioral health problems including anxiety, substance use and even schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Some other therapies including […]

Depression Treatment – Complimentary and Alternative Medicine

Overview. Complimentary and Alternative Medicine or CAM is a group of healthcare practices and products that are are not currently considered to be part of modern, Western medicine. The word ‘complementary’ describes a treatment that is used ‘in addition to’ and ‘alternative’ describes a treatment that is used ‘instead of’ conventional treatment. Thus, CAM treatments […]

Depression Therapy – Behavioral Activation

Behavioral Activation (BA) is an effective psychotherapy for the treatment of depression. Sometimes depression can become a vicious cycle where people stop doing things or being social because of their depressive symptoms, which in turn, worsens the depression because people become may become isolated and miss out on fun opportunities. BA is based on […]

Depression Treatment – Alternative Medicines

Most alternative medicines for depression are herbal remedies that come from plants. Other supplements can include minerals, manmade vitamins, and animal products such as fish oils. Sometimes people think that if something is naturally occurring, it is automatically safe. However, naturally occurring supplements can be very potent, have side effects and interact with other […]

Depression Treatment – Selective-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)

Selective-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are commonly prescribed medications for depression. The name “selective-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor” indicates how the medicine works in the brain by altering norepinephrine, one of the brains naturally occurring chemical messengers. SNRIs attach to cells in the brain in a way that interferes with the cell’s ability to vacuum back up the […]

Depression Treatment – Sleep

The relationship between sleep and depression is complicated—on the one hand, changes in sleep are a symptom of depression itself; on the other hand, sleep problems can cause depression-like symptoms that go away if the sleep problem is adequately treated. Thus, for a person with significant sleep and depressive symptoms, evaluation by a medical or […]

Depression Treatment – Self Help

Self-help refers to materials that depressed people can use on their own to try and improve their depression symptoms. In some cases, people who have not seen a professional about depression may access these resources. At other times, the materials are recommended by medical or mental health professionals to support ongoing psychotherapy or antidepressant treatment. […]

Depression Treatment – Psycheducation

Psychoeducation is a term to describe education about mental health issues. The education may be at a societal level to increase public understanding of mental health. However, in the context of treatment it typically refers to education that is directed at those experiencing mental health problems and/or their family members. Because depression is frequently misunderstood, […]

Depression Treatment – Commonly Used Medications

SSRIs and SNRIs are the most commonly used medications for depression, largely because they are safer and have fewer side effects than some other types of medication used to treat depression. However, in cases where a person is not helped by SSRIS or SNRIs, other types of medications are sometimes used. The major classes of alternative […]

Depresssion Treatment – Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an effective psychotherapy for preventing future episodes of depression after someone has recovered from an episode of depression. Thus, MBCT is not a treatment for someone who is depressed right now. Instead, MBCT is a treatment for someone who has been depressed in the past and is interested in learning […]

Depression Treatment – Lifestyle Modifications

Certain lifestyle factors may make a person more or less susceptible to developing depression and they can be helpful in decreasing the impact of depression once it does occur. Conversely, being depressed may make people more likely to engage in lifestyle choices that can put them at risk for other chronic health conditions . For […]