Depression Treatment: The Options Available

 

Depression is a mental condition when continuous feelings of pain and sadness exist in people. It is the most common mental illness in human lives. Depression can be anything acute or chronic, whereas acute depression is a temporary condition that can be treated in months. Chronic depression is a state that has existed for years, and by treatment, it can be shortened, and symptoms can be relieved. Do you know that research was done on 65,121 persons aged 55-59? Among them, 8.6 % of people diagnosed with mental depression, according to the National Library of Medicine data (1). The treatment for depression involves a combination of medical, psychological, and lifestyle modification. 

The Treatment Options available for Depression:

The treatment options for depression include the following methodologies:

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:

Cognitive Behavioral therapy is the most commonly tested treatment method for depression. As the name indicates, this therapy helps to change unhelpful thoughts and habits to a healthier option. This CBT has been evaluated in more than 2000 researches that proved this has been an effective treatment for a variety of mental health disorders. The CBT provides training on doing activities and attaining a sense of accomplishment. Cognitive behavioural therapy splits a hugely stressful task into multiple small tasks to complete it and reduce stress. Using this therapy, the depression due to not completing the tasks because of fear can be reduced gradually. 

2. Supportive Therapy:

• Supportive Therapy is the process of making close family members or intimate friends interact with the depressed person to outbreak the feelings inside him/her. 
• Making the depressed person join a supportive group where people all around the world with the same disorder or suffering discuss their vast experiences about how they overcome this issue. 

3. Psychodynamic therapy:

Psychodynamic therapy focuses on unconscious thoughts on the deep side of the mind, unresolved issues, and past experiences. This psychodynamic therapy identifies the root causes of a person’s behaviour, rooted in childhood experiences. It is best suited for deep-seated emotional issues and personality disorders. In this therapy, the causes of depression are identified, and the thought pattern is changed accordingly. 

4. Interpersonal Therapy:

Interpersonal Therapy focuses on interpersonal relationships and addressing social 

issues. This therapy is used to understand the underlying issues and organic ways to improve communication with society. Simply, this therapy feeds communication skills to resolve problems. 

Relaxation Techniques and Yoga:

Relaxation Techniques help in reducing depression to the previous level. That means severe depression can be reversed to moderate depression condition and moderate depression level would be resolved. The relaxation technique involves progressive muscle relaxation, music therapy, autogenic training, and yoga. 

5. Sleep Deprivation Therapy:

Sleep deprivation therapy is one treatment for depression. This method temporarily deprives the depressed person of sleep. They are not allowed to sleep for a full night, and they are not allowed to sleep the next day either. They are allowed to sleep only the next night. Sleep deprivation changes the brain’s metabolism, which can improve a person’s mood. Sleep deprivation therapy is given in paired therapy with other treatment methods. 

6. Light Therapy:

Light Therapy, also known as phototherapy, is used as a treatment for the seasonal Affective 

Disorder(SAD). The depressed person will be treated with an artificial light if the natural light is lagging and affects the person’s mood. This therapy involves sitting in front of the light for about ½ an hour every morning to improve mental health. 

7. Sports and Excercise:

Sports and exercise are recommended activities for preventing depression. However, sports and exercise are not the sole treatment method; they must be allied to the other main treatment methods. This is because every depression treatment is different, and the intensity of the exercise may be different. For example, a person with a severe depression condition cannot exercise intensively, while a person with a mildly depressed condition can do intense exercise. 

8. Transcranial magnetic Stimulation (TMS):

Transcranial magnet Stimulation is the treatment method that will be given when no other treatment methods yield positive effects. In this treatment method, a magnetic field will be produced by placing a coil on the head of the depressed person. This magnetic field will stimulate the nerve cells in the person’s brain. By doing this, the symptoms can be reduced or relieved by changing the brain activity.  

Conclusion:

Treatment for depression is not the same for all depressed people. Every depression condition is unique and requires individual treatment methodologies. It is the combination of medication, psychological therapy, and lifestyle modification to get out of depression completely. As with all other physical issues, depression also has to be diagnosed and addressed early. Depression can easily find changes with emotional outbreaks. A light walk in the fresh air and short travels can help a lot to get rid of depression.