Ways to Treat Depression

Part of the battle of treating depression is admitting that you need treatment. Because depression can distort a person's view of reality, the person sometimes firmly believes that he or she is doomed and cannot be helped. Although depression cannot be cured, it can be managed. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), thousands of people with depression can be productive members of society.

Drugs

• The Mayo Clinic recognizes three categories of drugs that are most often prescribed for depressives. They are tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) such as Endep (amitriptyline), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac (fluoxetine) or monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) such as Sursum (iproclozide). These drugs are specifically for depression and some other mental illnesses. They can take as long as one month before they begin showing positive benefits for the patient. Doctors and psychiatrists choose medications based on the individual's medical history, what drugs he is currently taking and how severe the symptoms of depression are. If the person's symptoms worsen, he is taken off the medication and abut two weeks later (after the original medication has left the body) started on another medication.

Counseling

• Drugs can't do all of the work to help manage depression symptoms. The depressed patient needs to be able to see that thoughts of hopelessness are just a symptom and not a true reflection of reality. In order to help recognize signs of depression and see a more accurate view of reality, therapy is recommended. This can last for weeks, months or years, depending on the individual. Although Freudian and Jungian psychotherapy has helped some depressives, the most successful form of therapy is cognitive behavior therapy. This type of therapy helps people reprogram their thoughts into more helpful and positive statements about themselves and reality. The therapist may also advise art therapy or writing in a journal to help boost self-esteem and to help the patient recognize that things are not always as bad as they seem.

Extreme Emergencies

• An extreme emergency is when a patient is suicidal or has tried to commit suicide. Treatment is hospitalization and, if the patient does not respond to drugs or therapy, use of electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT). According to MSNBC, the shocks are done only when the patient is rendered unconscious and padded about the head in order to prevent injury. Shock treatments are done regularly---sometimes once a month or every few months---in order to help prevent suicidal episodes. This is used in combination with counseling and drugs.