Alternative Therapies For Depression

Depression is a medical condition associated with a prolonged feeling of sadness as well as not feeling as motivated to complete your regular day to day activities. Depression is a very common medical condition and a lot of people suffer from it and its symptoms. It can be caused in many ways but it is often a natural reaction to a loss, or an injured self-esteem. People with depression often experience feeling hopeless, worthless, like they don't matter, and a complete sense of helplessness. Depression can have a serious effect on your normal functioning and makes even the easiest tasks seem impossible.

It affects one’s ability to think properly, feel, and behave. Depression can lead to a number of both physical and emotional problems. People with depression require a long term treatment plan and they usually turn to medication, counseling, and even alternative treatments to cure depression. Some of the more common symptoms of depression that people experience are listed below.

• A feeling of fatigue and loss of energy throughout the day

• A feeling of unhappiness about almost everything even things they found happiness in before

• Getting very irritable over small things

• Either excessive sleeping or a state of insomnia

• Reduced urge to do things that they used to really enjoy

• Unusual weight loss or weight gain

• Indecisiveness and an impaired sense of concentration

• A constant feeling of guilt and pessimistic thoughts

• Physical pains, cramps, headaches, and digestive problems that cannot be treated by medicines

• Reduced motivation wherein everything seems completely meaningless and it feels like it's just not worth making an effort

Depression symptoms can also vary depending on your age. For instance, younger children, when depressed might feel sad and be irritable at all times. Depressed adolescents and teens might feel angry and avoid social interaction with others. Depressed older adults, on the other hand, might get suicidal thoughts. If a person with depression experiences a persistence of the above listed symptoms over a long period of time, for maybe two weeks or longer, it is best advised for them to get assessed by a professional. There are many cases where depression might go away on its own and the person starts feeling better, but if it is ignored for a long time, it might lead to both physical and mental health problems.

Treatment of Depression

Different types of treatment options are available for different types of depressions. At times doctors may prescribe medications to the patient to relieve them from the symptoms of depression. Many times, however, meeting up with a psychiatrist or a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions like depression, is typically advisable. Typical treatment options for curing depression may include:

• Medications: The doctor can prescribe you antidepressant medications such as Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs), atypical antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, and Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

• Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy, commonly known as a talk therapy involves meeting a psychotherapist or a mental health provider who tries to help cure the depression symptoms by scheduling talk sessions to learn more about the causes of your depression.

• Alternative therapy: Alternative therapy has actually been found to be quite useful in curing depression and making its symptoms less bad. Alternative therapy refers to alternative forms of treatment or strategies encompassing activities such as diet changes, exercise, mental conditioning, and lifestyle changes.