All may have side effects, from livable to unpleasant, and sometimes a combination is used, or several are tried in sequence before an effective one is found. Sometimes it takes a few months for the med to start to work, and in the meantime it should be monitored very, very closely, especially in the case of children and teens, by the prescribing physician. Some of the drugs have been known to contribute to behavior that is violent towards the self or others.
Psychotherapy for depression generally takes three forms: cognitive behavioral therapy, with the goal of changing how you approach behaviors that may contribute to your depression; interpersonal therapy, focusing on relationships; and problem-solving therapy. Support groups may help, too, as well as attempts to fend off the social isolation that can be part of depression’s vicious cycle.
If medicine and talk therapy aren’t doing the trick, there’s always shock treatments. Seriously. This classic fodder for dramatic cinematic fiction has been around a while because it generally works. During electroconvulsive therapy you are medicated not to feel the shock. The procedure creates a controlled seizure, a treatment that works quickly, effectively and safely.
Similar and also used for resistant depression is transcranial magnetic stimulation, where an electromagnetic device placed on the forehead pulses your brain cells into a better mood. For more extreme cases, vagus nerve stimulation involves the surgical implantation of a little pacemaker-like device in your chest that connects via wires to your vagus nerve, sending it regular impulses.
More natural approaches include meditation, acupuncture, light therapy and over-the-counter supplements which should be approved by the doc. All have varying degrees of effectiveness, depending on the individual case. Other crucial self-care remedies recommended for the depressed include getting plenty of exercise, sleep and healthy food, and getting out of the house and socializing, working hard to make time to maintain contacts with family and friends, especially the sunny and cheerful among them! Avoiding drugs and alcohol is often prescribed as well, as is volunteer work and fun activities in your areas of interest. “Live Your Life Well” from Mental Health America has lots of tips for self-care at www.liveyourlifewell.org, and there’s even “an app for that,” as they say. Bipolar patient Kimberly Knox has created Mood Watch for the iPhone, etc, to track feelings and self-care activities in order to be proactive about recovery.
If your mood gets uncontrollably low and your mind (or that of a loved one) drifts to self-harm, reaching out is essential. Call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Call a friend, family, minister, doctor or other health-care professional. Call someone! You are not alone, and feeling this way is not your fault. Depression is treatable, and feeling so miserable for so long is no way to spend your brief time on this planet.
