Treatments for depression

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The most widely discussed topic today, that seems to be making headlines on almost every newspaper and every edition of a magazine is that of depression. Of late, there seems to have been an excruciating number of people, mostly celebrities who have come in the light to speak about their phase of depression. Either that, or it’s only now that people have openly started talking and discussing about an emotion that had earlier been branded ‘scary’.
Thousands of people young and old seem to be committing suicide after losing the battle to depression. This might make one wonder, what problems people with more choices, better technologies and opportunities than earlier might face. What is the reason to be depressed?

This topic, still under study has been covered on multiple TEDTalks sessions, where people who have been through the phase describe depression as a feeling of constant melancholy that persists even during times that one may describe ‘perfect and happy’. A feeling of non-existence.

Though this term hasn’t been completely understood, here are a few treatments that may help one get over their terrible chapter of depression.

1. Antidepressants- The medical treatment for depression.
It is believed that depression is a result of chemical imbalance that occurs in the brain. Antidepressants are medicines that work by bringing the chemical balance of the brain back to normal thus relieving depression. However, such medicines must be prescribed by the doctor as these drugs have various adverse side effects and over dose of the same may be lethal.

2. Yoga-An age old treatment for depression.
Yoga in most cases, is used as a method of biofeedback to help treat depression. Yoga and meditation have been proven to have a calming and hence therapeutic effect on the minds of patients suffering from depression.

3. Musical therapy- The new age treatment for depression.
An efficient and cost effective method to treat depression, studies have shown that music has a long term effect on the mental state of an individual. This type of therapy is most widely used to treat children and adolescents while there is still a lot of study going on in this field.

4. Psychotherapy-To talk about one’s troubles.

Psychotherapy involves talking to an expert regarding one’s problems. The type of psychotherapy varies depending on the type of depression as cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy.

5. Electroconvulsive therapy- Involves passing current to treat depression.
This procedure involves passing short pulses of current through a person in anesthesia to impact the function of neurotransmitters in the brain. Though it may lead to headaches and memory loss, these are only temporary and wears out with time making this method an efficient one in cases where medication doesn’t work.

6. Trans-cranial magnetic stimulation-Magnetic effects of treating depression.
Studies have shown that depression is an emotional response of the brain that involves activation of certain parts of the brain. This method thus activates certain neuronal centers in the brain by means of a magnetic coil. It is a continuous process of treatment that goes on for about 2-3 months.

7. Exercise and nutrition-An effective cure for depression.
It has been proven by many scientists and researchers that physical well-being has a great impact on the mental health of an individual. There are certain diets and exercise regimes that help keep the chemicals of the body under proper balance thus preventing the onset of mood swings and depression. These diets and exercises may be taught by professionals or may just be simple well balanced, timely activities that have a positive effect in treating depression.

8. Sleep-The necessary relaxation.
These days, the world has become a faster and more competitive place. To cope with the mountain loads of work, most youngsters find themselves following unnatural sleep patterns that over the long run morphs into stress and depression. In order to maintain good mental health, 7-9 hours of sleep is recommended as recent studies have found that sleep has drastic effects on mood in humans.

9. Social groups-An interactive method to overcome depression.

There are many people in this world today who suffer from depression. Self-help and social groups have thus been started to help people overcome depression by interacting with one another and learning from different people, the methods to overcome depression.

10. E therapy-An upcoming therapy.
This method involves psychotherapy that is carried out online rather than face to face. While not very commonly practiced, this method may be used for patients suffering from mild depression.

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