The Most Effective Treatments for Depression
Treatments for depression begin with a visit to your doctor to get a thorough evaluation and confirmed diagnosis. This comprehensive approach to finding out exactly what you are experiencing will have a direct impact on the type of treatment recommended by your doctor.
Keep in mind your participation in the healing process is critical to your treatment success. Therefore, speak up if you have questions or doubts about any options with which you’re being presented. This type of assertiveness may be difficult if you are feeling severely depressed, so bring a trusted friend or loved one with you to help make your wishes and concerns clear to the doctor.
Here are some of the more commonly prescribed treatments your likely to be presented with:
Prescription Drugs
For many years Prozac was the most commonly-prescribed antidepressant. Nowadays, advancements in pharmaceutical research have turned out other more-effective medications like Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, Paxil, Zoloft and Wellbutrin. But the list doesn’t end here. Because there is such a wide range of symptoms and severity, many people don’t respond the same way to the same drug. For your individual situation, you may have to try one or two different medicines before finding the one best suited to your specific brain chemistry.
Be sure your doctor let’s you know which, if any, side effects you can expect. Many of these ease up after a short period of time, but if you can’t tolerate them at any level, you need to let your doctor know.
Talking Therapy
Many doctors will recommend you combine your drug therapy with talking therapy. Experts have found that talking about your experiences with depression with a trained behavioral therapist helps speed up and boost recovery.
Lifestyle Modifications
Medical researchers have found that even small modifications to your lifestyle, such as, diet, exercise and social activity can contribute to the speed and success of your recovery. Start small, and only do what you can, when you can. You may find a friend or relative who is willing help you implement these positive changes.
As you can see, there is a wide range of choices when it comes to treatments for depression. When you thoroughly explore all your options with your doctor, together, you’ll be able to come up with the best treatment plan for your personal situation.