What Depression Treatments Are Available?
Depression is a serious ailment that afflicts almost 1/3rd the population of the U.S. This is probably the reason why we must know not only all about this disease, but we should be aware of the best depression treatments that are available to us. Depression can be both normal as well as harmful. It is normal when it appears as a momentary sadness or disappointment in our lives due to some mishap, disease or some personal loss. This sadness or emptiness remains for a few days and heals normally as more and more time passes.
On the other hand, depression becomes harmful and a serious disease when the effects of such losses outlast the cause itself. In other words, the person suffering somehow manages to remain sad, empty, lonely, dejected and tensed long after the cause itself has disappeared. Therefore, in order to wipe the threat of depression completely out of your system, you must not only know the various medications that are suitable for its treatment, but you must also know the complex functioning of the brain. Scientists have been grappling with this dilemma for quite some time now. Tests after tests have been done to get an answer to this very question. And till now, they have been able to pinpoint only two major reasons for the onslaught of this disease. Therefore, the two major reasons for depression are; genetic and biological factors and environmental factors. According to the genetic and the biological factor hypothesis, it is believed that a person inherits this disease from his/her parents. In other words, the disease runs in the family. The imbalance in two neurotransmitters called serotonin and norepinephrine are the main reasons why a person develops a distorted view of the reality. However, the disease actually gets triggered by some additional environmental factors like some personal losses, failed relationships, childhood issues, and so on. Doctors, therefore prescribe, under such circumstances, external doses of serotonin to the patient. Tricyclic antidepressants also help mitigate this biological problem. The other medications that are frequently prescribed by doctors are Parnate (tranylcypromine), Nardil (phenelzine), Buspar (buspirone), Desyrel (trazodone), Cymbalta (duloxetine), Effexor (venlafaxine), etc. Electroconvulsive Therapy is another option whereby electric shocks are given to the patients who have stopped responding to medication. This is given only in cases of severe depressive disorder. The doctors also prescribe some sort of psychotherapy. This involves regular conversations with a therapy expert, which helps the patient to resolve the various environmental factors, and he also comes to terms with any emotional issues that were troubling him in the past. You could also opt for some yoga and breathing and meditation techniques. Herbal treatments like kava, ginseng, valerian, ashwagandha, lemon balm, St. John's Wort, bugleweed and chamomile are also effective in these cases. You must remember that depression is not a mere disease; it is also an abnormal and distorted way of looking at one's surroundings. Therefore, you must not only change your way of thinking, but also your lifestyle in order to defeat it totally. Therefore, the best Depression Treatment available to us when afflicted by this disease is therapy, coupled with appropriate medications. |