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Depression Treatment:
How Is Depression Treated?
Welcome to the gateway page for depression treatments. Here you can link to other pages on this site that explain depression treatment methods in great detail.
Just as there are different factors that may cause depression, there are different treatments for depression. Sometimes these treatments are aimed directly at the presumed causes of depression. More often they are given because they have been shown to be generally helpful or because the doctor is most familiar with their use.
Welcome to the gateway page for depression treatments. Here you can link to other pages on this site that explain depression treatment methods in great detail.
Just as there are different factors that may cause depression, there are different treatments for depression. Sometimes these treatments are aimed directly at the presumed causes of depression. More often they are given because they have been shown to be generally helpful or because the doctor is most familiar with their use.
Psychotherapy,
or talk therapy, is always appropriate for depression that requires
treatment. There are various types of psychotherapy ranging from
supportive psychotherapy to those with the more ambitious goals of
effectively alleviating symptoms of depression, uncovering
psychological causes of depression, and helping the patient to insights
and changes in personality characteristics and behaviors that may
prevent recurrence of depression.
Medications are the cornerstone of treatment for major depressions. The effectiveness of antidepressant medications has been conclusively proven, but issues of selecting the best medication and minimizing side effects remain important.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been maligned in recent years. However, ECT remains the single most effective treatment for severe depression, is most effective in lessening or eliminating suicidal risk, and is sometimes helpful when other treatments have failed.
Other treatments such as exercise, sleep deprivation, light therapy, and psychosurgery are controversial and the subject of ongoing research. Each of these treatments appears to be useful for some patients.
All of the treatments mentioned on this site have a role to play in the treatment of depression. Selecting the best treatment for each patient requires knowledge, experience, skill, and sometimes luck. When one treatment is ineffective, it is likely that another will be successful. Optimism that a successful treatment will be found, persistence in pursuit of successful treatment, and flexibility in matching patient with treatment are hallmarks of good treatment of depression. Each of these classes of treatment are explained in more detail on this site.
Medications are the cornerstone of treatment for major depressions. The effectiveness of antidepressant medications has been conclusively proven, but issues of selecting the best medication and minimizing side effects remain important.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been maligned in recent years. However, ECT remains the single most effective treatment for severe depression, is most effective in lessening or eliminating suicidal risk, and is sometimes helpful when other treatments have failed.
Other treatments such as exercise, sleep deprivation, light therapy, and psychosurgery are controversial and the subject of ongoing research. Each of these treatments appears to be useful for some patients.
All of the treatments mentioned on this site have a role to play in the treatment of depression. Selecting the best treatment for each patient requires knowledge, experience, skill, and sometimes luck. When one treatment is ineffective, it is likely that another will be successful. Optimism that a successful treatment will be found, persistence in pursuit of successful treatment, and flexibility in matching patient with treatment are hallmarks of good treatment of depression. Each of these classes of treatment are explained in more detail on this site.
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