Main Page [2] | Risk Factors [3] | Symptoms [4] | Diagnosis [5] | Treatment | Screening [6] | Reducing Your Risk [7] | Talking to Your Doctor [8] | Living With Depression [9] | Resource Guide [10]
A variety of effective treatments are available to help people with depression [11]. The main categories are antidepressant medications and psychotherapies (or counseling). Some forms of depression [11] may be treated with psychotherapy alone. Others require antidepressant drugs or a combination of drugs and counseling. Medications bring symptom relief and help correct any underlying abnormalities of brain [12] chemicals. Counseling can help you learn more effective ways to deal with depression [11] and the factors that originally caused or triggered it.
Treatment involves the following:
Lifestyle changes [13]
Medications [14]
Alternative and complementary therapies [15]
Other treatments—therapy [16]
There are no surgical options for the treatment of depression [11].
References:
Depression. National Institute of Mental Health. Available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/depressionmenu.cfm [17] . Accessed March 24, 2007.
Fochtmann LJ, Gelenberg AJ. Guideline Watch: Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder. 2nd ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2005. American Psychiatric Association website. Available at: http://www.psych.org/psych_pract/treatg/pg/prac_guide.cfm [18] . Accessed March 25, 2007.
National Institute of Mental Healthwebsite. Available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ [19] .
Last reviewed April 2007 by Janet Greenhut, MD [20]
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical [21] advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health [22] provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical [21] condition.
Copyright © 2007 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.
Links:
[1] http://www.thirdage.com/health-wellness/editorial-staff-and-contributors#AmyS
[2] http://www.thirdage.com/health-wellness/conditions-indepth-depression-0
[3] http://www.thirdage.com/encyclopedia/risk-factors-for-depression
[4] http://www.thirdage.com/encyclopedia/symptoms-of-depression
[5] http://www.thirdage.com/encyclopedia/diagnosis-of-depression
[6] http://www.thirdage.com/encyclopedia/screening-for-depression
[7] http://www.thirdage.com/encyclopedia/reducing-your-risk-of-depression
[8] http://www.thirdage.com/encyclopedia/talking-to-your-healthcare-provider-about-depression
[9] http://www.thirdage.com/encyclopedia/in-her-own-words-living-with-depression
[10] http://www.thirdage.com/encyclopedia/resource-guide-for-depression
[11] http://www.thirdage.com/depression
[12] http://www.thirdage.com/brain-fitness
[13] http://www.thirdage.com/health-wellness/lifestyle-changes-to-manage-depression-0
[14] http://www.thirdage.com/health-wellness/medications-for-depression-0
[15] http://www.thirdage.com/healthguide/depression-mild-to-moderate
[16] http://www.thirdage.com/health-wellness/other-treatments-for-depression-0
[17] http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/depressionmenu.cfm
[18] http://www.psych.org/psych_pract/treatg/pg/prac_guide.cfm
[19] http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
[20] http://www.thirdage.com/health-wellness/ebsco-publishings-medical-review-board-0#Greenhut
[21] http://www.thirdage.com/medical-care
[22] http://www.thirdage.com/health-wellness