Types of Depression Treatments

Depression affects about 13 to 14 million people yearly (see Resources). Yet, less than a third of depressed people seek professional help. What's more, many people are depressed but ignore the symptoms of their illness so they don't get help. On the other hand, if they are aware, too often they fail to reach out for help because of the stigma linked with depression. As soon as depression hits, it's imperative to get help as soon as possible, either for yourself or for a friend or loved one who's depressed.

Identification

• Depression treatments can be divided into two basic types. The first type deals with correcting chemical and biological irregularities occurring with depression. These include treatments with antidepressants, mood stabilizing medications, electric shock treatment (ECT) and psychosurgery. The other type focuses on the psychological aspects or talking treatments, such as sessions with a therapist or family counselor.

Medication Therapy

• Often, depressed people suffer from chemical imbalances in the brain. That's why most, therapists use medications known as antidepressants to mange depression symptoms while treating the illness. Each antidepressant works in a different way to restore the brain to its proper chemical balance. Antidepressants boost chemicals in the nervous system known as neurotransmitters. However, antidepressants don't work miracles overnight. After about 3 to 4 weeks, many patients notice an improvement, although some days are better than others. The right medication usually isn't found immediately, but through trial and error. If there are too many side effects, a new medication is substituted until just the right one is found. During the first days and weeks of drug therapy, patients need to be monitored. Besides antidepressants, other medicines are sometimes used for treating depression. For example, minor tranquilizers called benzodiazepines are used for treating anxiety, which often accompanies depression, helping a person sleep. In treating bipolar disorders, mood stabilizers are occasionally used. A technique known as augmentation uses other medications to help an antidepressant do a better job.

Hospitalization Therapy

• Whenever a depressed person becomes a danger to either himself or others, it's necessary to hospitalize him until he's gained full stability, as well as allowed time for effects of an antidepressant to start kicking in. Usually, this encompasses a 3- to 4-week period.

Electroconvulsive Therapyx and Psychosurgery

• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electric shock treatment, has been used for more than half a century, although it's still one of the most controversial treatments. ECT is usually only used in severely depressed patients where other therapies have not been effective. In ECT, electric pulses are placed on a patient's head to induce a carefully controlled fit (seizure). Performed under full general anesthetic, the patient isn't conscious of the seizure and is also given a muscle relaxant to lessen shaking movements so there's no injury. Between 6 and 12 ECT treatments are usually given twice weekly. Often people are hospitalized during treatments, although they can also receive them as outpatients. Psychosurgery is treating depression by using surgical techniques to destroy brain tissue. Rarely used, it's a last resort for acute psychiatric disorders.

Psychotherapy

• Psychotherapy is the psychological treatment of depression. Besides working with individuals, often therapists work with groups of people. A few of the many therapeutic approaches used for treating depression include behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, interpersonal therapy, family therapy and rational emotive therapy. Behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy are all based on changing negative thought and behavioral patterns. These types of therapies focus on how thoughts and behaviors contribute to depression. Typically short-term therapies, they use simple methods to focus on negative thought patterns (cognitive distortions). It's most effective with people who are more cognitively-bent. Interpersonal therapy focuses on improving a patient's social relationships. Also short-term, interpersonal therapy works with communication skills, expressing emotions and assertiveness. It can involve group therapy as well as individual sessions. Family therapy involves depression linked with family relationships and their roles. Rational emotive behavior therapy (REB) takes the view that people strive to remain alive to find some degree of happiness, but adopt irrational behaviors and beliefs hindering their goals. In REB therapy, patients work their negative emotions of why tragic events happened and then learn how to go on with life even though life events interrupted their plans. They deal with all the "should haves" and "oughts" that torment their minds.

Misconceptions

• Often, depressed people fail to get help because they know of another person who didn't get help with a certain type of depression treatment. However, just as people are different, so are depression therapies. In other words, what doesn't work for one may be effective for someone else. Every patient and case is different.

Warning

• Often, people who overcome a bout of depression, feel they're cured and that the symptoms will never return. However, because depression can reoccur, it's important to get help again when needed.