Treat Depression

Treat Depression questions and answers

Learn About How To Safely Treat Depression.

Q: What are some natural remedies to treat depression and Insommia?
I am looking to ween off my treatment (Medication) that the doctor (GP) has recommended me and I am looking to treat my depression and Insomnia naturally, and my body isn't reacting well with my medication so I am going to try ween my way off the medication. Have you gone natural for you depression and Insomnia? If so what natural products did you use and was it successful? How long would you have to take the product/products for? Other information: I also have anixity as well.

A: St. johns wort worked for me for the depression. You can pick this up at any drug store. Try working out for the insomnia. Usually if you work out 3 times per wk your body will allow you to go to sleep easier.

Q: How come we don't treat depression seriously?
There is a great deal of intellectualism associated with depression. As Hemingway wrote, "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know." Depression is treated, often times, as a right of passage- something that implies growing from children's television to the "real life". Those who suffer from depression are almost implicitly seen as better artists or poets. Depression is ennobling. This is not the case with any other disease, mental or otherwise, that I know of. Depression is debilitating. It has biological and psychological effects. It is linked to genetics. It has degenerative effects on the brain. How come we do not treat it like a disease- on the same ground as AIDS or diabeties, or even ADD? How come a serious ailment is seen as a poetic license? To the answer that brought up that antidepressants are widely perscribed- There is a weird dynamic going on here that I didn't really get to. While people see the poetic depression of Hemingway as ennobling, they see it as trivial and cosmetic in a different context. In the wonder-years of Prozac, it was perscribed like candy- another indication that we aren't giving depression the attention it deserves. Depression- especially in adolescence (and younger!) is often seen as a phase that will remedy itself with the passage of time and can safely be disregarded with medicine. This is simply the distinction between "teenage depression" and "adult depression". A ridiculous world it is that passes this as anything short of sadistic.

A: We assume depression as parts of our life. Happines sometimes is debilitating too. It also gives our biological and psicological affects. But if we don't handle depression seriously, seriosly we can commit suicide for severe case. Whatever it goes, we have to be intelligent to control our mood or mood stabilizer.

Q: How do I treat depression naturally?
I believe I am suffering from depression and would like to treat it naturally. Exercise helps but I was wondering about St. John's Wart or some other natural drugs.

A: Exercise is step one in natural treatment of depression. The therapeutic benefit of St. John's Wort is minimal at best. Individual therapy with a psychologist will assist in the identification of the issues leading to depression, and assist you in not only feeling better now, but preventing depressive states in the future. Medication is frequently not necessary. All the best.

Q: Should I take a leave from work to treat depression?
I have been diagnosed with depression. Do you think it might be helpful for me to take a leave of absense from work for a couple months to treat myself and get better? I have the means to do so.

A: I always put health first and if youy need to take time off work to get better then thats what you need to do .

Q: What is the best way to treat depression? and why?
I saw a therapist on monday and she suggested that I should see my doctor and discuss taking anti-depressant or any other treatments. What is the best way to treat depression? And why is now that I went to get help I don't feel depressed?

A: "And why is now that I went to get help I don't feel depressed?" That is such a pain, isn't it. The day before my therapist appointment, sometimes I'd be in such a huge crisis that I couldn't leave my apartment. Then the next day would come and I'd feel fine. I always felt like a fraud! If the depression has lifted, there is no reason to take antidepressants right now. If you suffer from periodic, non-constant depressions, you may be able to find a lot of relief from therapy alone. I would try that first, and see how it goes for you. Despite how happy most doctors are to shove them down your throat, anti-depressants (like all psych drugs) are serious medications with serious side-effect, and sometimes highly addictive qualities. Don't take them lightly. If you need them, take them. But try therapy first. I studied this topic pretty extensively, and there is NO DIFFERENCE between the effectiveness of therapy alone and the effectiveness of antidepressants alone. Both work a bit over half the time. Some people might do better with one, the other, or both. But your chances of recovery don't necessarily improve if you jump straight to drugs.

Q: How well does lithium treat depression?
I have been taking lithium for 8 days now and I know that it is supposed to treat my mania but I was wondering how well it is supposed to treat my depression? Just wondering what other experiences were like.... Thanks

A: Lithium won't specifically target your depressed moods. What it does is stabilize your mood swings so that you are less likely to lapse into a depressive episode OR a manic episode. If you are currently depressed it may help by normalizing your mood, but it is not specifically an antidepressant so it may not have the kind of antidepressant qualities you need to normalize your brain chemistry right now. Keep taking the medicine and if you still see no marked improvement in your depressive symptoms then tell your psychiatrist. They may switch you to a different mood stabilizer, or add an antidepressant medication such as an SSRI like Zoloft, Lexapro, etc.

Q: Does anyone know about a device that is implanted in the brainstem to treat depression?
I don't know what it's called, it's supposed to treat depression with electrical impulses.

A: That's still in the experimental stages. Meanwhile look into Kratom.

Q: How to naturally treat depression?
How can I naturally treat my depression? I've already got St. John's Wort and I plan on getting Fish Oil soon. Is there anything else that will work?

A: It's good that you want to treat depression naturally. Psychiatric drugs have been found to be very dangerous, so it's awesome that you want to try something different. Depression can be caused by a vitamin deficiency, hormonal imbalance, lack of certain amino acids or a low-functioning thyroid. All of these things can be tested for and treated. I recommend you see a good medical doctor (not a psychiatrist) and get a full medical workup to get to the root cause of your depression. A good medical doctor aw well as other practitioners of holistic medicine can be found at: http://www.alternativementalhealth.com A good book that addresses ways to treat depression naturally is The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. Check it out at: http://www.moodcure.com One final way to alleviate depression naturally is to exercise if you aren't already. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain helping you feel better. Here is an article on exercise and depression from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043

Q: How do I find a Psychologist to treat depression in NYC?
I need to find a psychologist in NYC to treat depression. How do I go about doing this? I don't even know where to start....

A: Here is a list of psychiatrists and psychologists in the state of New York. They are ones that all have patient ratings. That way you can choose your doctor by how well they're rated. Good luck =) http://www.ratemds.com/social/?q=node/28882&sid=35&orderby=DSpecialty&letter=P

Q: Is medication always needed to treat depression?
As far as I know, depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I know people have therapy because of their depression, but (seeing as it is a chemical imbalance) is medication always needed along with that therapy? Can medication be used by itself for treatment or should a patient have both medication and therapy to treat their depression?

A: It isn't always a chemical imbalance - and if it is then depending on what caused the imbalance the appropriate treatment is given. There are so many different approaches to explaining depression, the biomedical believes in the chemical imbalance, the behavioural approach believes that depression is a learnt response and the psychodynamic believes it is rooted in the turbulance of our early relationships. Say we take pain killers for a head ache, the headache is still there we just dont feel it - it's the same for some cases of depression and treating them with antidepressants, nothing wrong with taking them why should you deal with the headache there and then? - But if its a migraine caused by a brain tumour or heredity then you can't help it and you need medicine, if it is caused by stress - by using therapy to eliminate the stress, you eliminate the headache and in turn dont require the pain killers as much - that is the basis of therapy for depression depending on the type. None of the aforementioned approaches work too well on their own and so need to be used in conjunction to provide a more wholistic explanation of the origins of depression - but if it is a learned response, say you 'learned' to be depressed in response to unfavourable stimuli rather than face up to them - there aren't very many chemicals involved and behavioural psychologists will work on changing the way you think. The trauma itself may cause the chemical imbalance - and then you might be fine but still inclined towards depression but say if it were genetic as some people believe it is, then you would need medication as the disruption to chemicals would be spontaneous and often without cause. From personal experience I can tell you therapy did not work for me at all and medication did until the side effects got out of hand but medication should be given to a properly assessed case that cannot be treated otherwise before we attempt to mess up their chemical balances more - and therapy should be given in all cases incase it can either eliminate or at least reduce depression. Hope the explanation was helpful. To gain a better understanding you can look up Depression as it is understood under the various psychological approaches.

Q: Should medical marijuana be used to treat depression also? It definitely is a great way to cheer somebody up.?
Should medical marijuana be legalized for and used to treat depression also? It definitely is a great way to cheer somebody up, as well as being far healthier than antidepressant pharmaceuticals.

A: Honestly I believe it should be straight up legalized and just have the shit taxed out of it... it would end up being cheaper anyways because the price of anything illegal is a lot higher than it should be. It would help get rid of our debt... if u can't beat em join em. So, yes it SHOULD definately be legal to use for depression.

Q: Are there any herbal medications that can treat depression and OCD?
Does anyone know if there are any herbal medications that can be used to treat depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I'm sick of regular antidepressants and their side effects( Lexapro made me gain weight and Prozac made me sick to my stomach all of the time). I really think regular prescription antidepressants are too strong for me, so I was wondering if there was something available that was easier on the body's system.

A: it is called pot but the bureaucrats wont allow it because it is not controllable

Q: Are there any natural ways to treat depression?
Just out of curiosity are there any proven ways of treating depression through herbs or other natural methods that aren't Pharmaceuticals?

A: EDITED VERSION: It is very hard to say that there are PROVEN natural antidepressants. St. John's Wort seems helpful for mild to moderate depression. Research is being conducted into the role of omega-3 oils for treatment of depression and bipolar disorder. However, there is very little solid scientific research on how well natural remedies work for depression. You can go into most vitamin or health food stores and find a whole aisle devoted to mood enhancing supplements or antidepressants. Many of them come in combo formulas. If the sales clerk appears knowledgeable and honest, ask for his/her advice on some of the best products. Ingredients will vary, but typical herbs for depression include St. John's wort, valerian root, kava-kava, chamomile and passion flower. Amino acids that may help depression include phenylalanine, tyrosine, GABA and theanine. 5-HTP, tryptophan and alpha lipoic acid might have some antidepressant qualities. The same can be said for folic acid and the B vitamins in general. Some researchers recommend SAM-e, but I and others I know found it to be very expensive and ineffectual. Again, there ain't much scientific studies of the remedies above. Your best bet might be to got to an alternative health practitioner or MD who has done a lot of work in treating depression. In terms of the supplements I mentioned, you might have success if you supplements that contain as many of the above ingredients as possible. If it is possible for you, I would seriously suggest as much exercise as possibe, good nutrition, and some form of relaxation like meditation. Best wishes.

Q: Did anyone try to treat depression naturally? Did it work? and how long did it take for it to work?
Did anyone try to treat depression naturally? For example, by eating foods that help increase serotonin (like foods high in trytophan) and exercising a lot, etc etc. Did it work? and how long did it take to get cured?

A: Yes many many times over the years. There are times when I felt so down and depress that nothing matters anymore, nothing seem to go right for me and every things seems going against me and sometimes I just want to go to sleep and hope I never wake up. Later in life I learn to control my depression and not let it control me. Here what I do when I become depress and is it quite simple-------------------I tell myself that I been been in this state before and I recovered, there is not too much that I can do to get rib of that feel right now, I accept that this is just part of life it comes and go. I convince myself that time will dissipate this feeling and I should continue to do what I want to do and what I have to do. And I try to keep myself bessy because that help take your mind away from your depression. The best thing to do is when you are super depress have your true best friend keep you company even over night and that help a lot too.

Q: What happens if you don't treat depression?
Hi! I am doing a presentation on depression for college and what I have found is it saying it is important that depression is treated. I was wondering what would happen if you didn't treat depression? Would anything happen besides staying depressed? Thank you!

A: im depressed all the time but im too scared to talk to my parents about it. but i can tell u that i get the shakes and my head hurts all the time.. i feel mad at the world all the time. i always kind of have a bad attitude at home .. im two different people at skool and at home... ummmmmmm i cry in the dark and corny stuff like tht.. i thot about suicide and shit .... but hope i helped