How Is Depression Treated?

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Depending on the type and severity of depression, treatment may involve:

• Psychotherapy (counseling), which is the treatment of mental and emotional disorders by psychologic techniques and counseling
  
• Antidepressant medications which can restore proper chemical balance in the brain
  
• Other treatments such as light therapy and electroconvulsive therapy

Treatment is successful in 80% to 90% of clinically depressed people.

• In mild to moderate depression, psychotherapy may be all that is needed.
  
• Regular exercise is also beneficial for helping to uplift mood in milder forms of depression.
  
• If symptoms don’t improve in a couple of months, and certainly in more severe cases of depression, medication may be recommended.
  
• If there is a risk of suicide, medication or hospitalization may be necessary right away.
  
• For some people, the best and most lasting results are obtained with a combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication.

To be considered recovered, one must be in remission - that is, symptoms must not be present - for four to six months. The person should have returned to his or her usual ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

RELATED STORIES:
What you can’t expect from your therapist   Suppressing “Depressive” and “Manic-Depressive”   Clinical Consult in Depression: Questions and Answers   Electroconvulsive therapy effective?   Helping The Depressed Person Get Treatment   Depression: You Don’t Have to Feel This Way   Bipolar Disorders: Clinical Complexities, Current Challenges   Who Gets Depressed?   Depression Overview   Postnatal Depression   What Are The Symptoms Of Depression?   ADHD Medicines   Antidepressants? Tell your doctor this   Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’S)   Social Phobia

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