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Treatment for depression
Depression treatments exist in both natural and pharmaceutical forms. Both types work by helping to stabilise the chemical imbalance in the brain that is synonymous with depression. Consult your doctor before starting any course of anti-depressants, and be aware of possible side-effects. SAD sufferers can find relief in lamps that mimic natural daylight. For very severe, deep depression, electric shock treatment can sometimes yield results, scary as it sounds, while a combination of therapy and anti-depressants is often the most powerful weapon against depression.
One of the most common and popular of these is St. John's Wort, usually extracted into daily tablets and available from many health food shops. Like all anti-depressants, it doesn't work for all people, but some studies have shown it to be at least as effective as some of the pharmaceutical drugs in alleviating the pain of depression.
Several plants contain anti-depressant compounds, including bananas. You would, however, have to eat several crate-loads of bananas to get the benefit of a single anti-depressant tablet! Eating a banana every day, though, is more likely to help than to harm.
Pharmaceutical anti-depressants
Because a reasonable amount is known about the causes of depression at a biochemical level, there are several ways in which the illness can be treated. Anti-depressant drugs have been around for many years in various different forms. Some of the earlier ones tended to be addictive and have powerful side-effects, but as medical science has progressed, so anti-depressants have improved. There are several different kinds available, including MAO inhibitors, Trycyclics and SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors). The latter, of which Prozac is one, are the most commonly prescribed today, and are non-addictive with relatively few dangerous side-effects. For other types of depression, different pharmaceutical treatments are prescribed. Manic depression, for example, is often treated with a lithium compound which can stabilise mood swings.
It is very important to follow your doctor's or psychiatrist's instructions when taking anti-depressant medication. You may find that the drug has little or no effect for the first couple of weeks; this is normal, and you should persevere for as long as is necessary before deciding that the drug has no effect. And don't worry if this happens, because if you're not receptive to one particular type of anti-depressant, the chances are that another will work very well. At all times, it's important to keep in contact with your doctor. Mention any side-effects, improvements or deteriorations in mood, and so on. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to self-medicate, as anti-depressants work best when the dose is carefully controlled.
Expect them, particularly with pharmaceuticals. Anti-depressants are powerful drugs that affect the brain chemistry, and side effects are almost inevitable. These can include nausea, insomnia, anxiety, paranoia, dizziness, stomach and bowel problems and more. Some users describe feeling as though they're living in a dream, but this is quite rare, and may be linked to the depression rather than the drug. More common is a lack of emotions, either good or bad. But although these side-effects sound unpleasant, they are not universal and they are nearly always preferable to the feelings of depression. Most occur within the first few weeks of use of the drug. In a very small number of people, anti-depressants of the SSRI group have been known to exacerbate depression rather than helping to cure it, but such events are very rare.
Anti-depressant drugs are often combined with therapy, in a 'two-pronged attack' on depression that can be more effective than either approach on its own. See our THERAPY page to find out more.
For sufferers of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), there are ways of significantly reducing the effects of the problem without paying for a two-week trip to the Caribbean. By sitting in front of special lamps, which mimic the exact wavelengths of the sun's rays, for an hour or so each morning, the symptoms can be reduced, or even eliminated completely. Such lamps are becoming increasingly available - ask your doctor or search the Web.
Primitive and frightening though it sounds, some deeply depressed people do respond well to carefully-administered electric shock therapy, although the reasons for the response are not clearly understood. This sort of treatment is only used on patients who fail to respond to any form of therapy or anti-depressant medication - a very small number of people. Needless to say, attempting this at home is both highly dangerous and pointless.
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© Unusual Publishing Ltd 1999-2008. Have we helped you? Then please help us! Important note: The information carried on this site relates to the direct experience of depression sufferers and is not intended as a medical guide. Nothing on this site can replace the supervision and advice of a good doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist. Anyone suffering from depression should see their doctor immediately and regularly. Legal/privacy statement. Validate.