Best Cure for Depression
From LoveToKnow Recovery
A combination of antidepressant medication and therapy is generally the best cure for depression. Understanding how each of these treatment procedures works will motivate you to seek out both so you can alleviate your depression symptoms.
How Antidepressant Medication Works
One of the causes of depression is physiological. This is why you might experience depression symptoms without something horrible happening to you. It's also why, if you are dealing with a challenging situation, you may not be able to overcome it as easily as someone else would.
An imbalance of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine can cause an increased risk of depression. When there is a chemical imbalance, your brain is unable to process information as well. This results in a change of mood, loss of energy, and an overwhelming feeling of depression.
Antidepressant medication will help to correct the chemical imbalance in your brain. Some medications will increase or decrease serotonin, while others will increase or decrease norepinephrine. Once these medications adjust your neurotransmitter levels, your brain will begin to respond better to situations. However, you may not feel completely cured of your depression if you are still dealing with extremely difficult situations, and this is where therapy can help.
How Therapy Works
Taking antidepressant medication gives you a stable platform to begin dealing with life's challenges. Without the medication, you won't have the energy, motivation or hope to work on your life. Think of it this way: Depression makes you forget about your life by numbing you, medication helps you feel your life again so you can face it with confidence to fix it.
The ideal time to begin therapy is as soon as you begin taking your antidepressant medication. This is so your therapist can assess your stability and functioning while you are at your lowest. This will help your therapist determine how to help you and see your progress.
It's important to be an active participant in therapy, but keep in mind, you won't have to divulge any information that you don't feel comfortable with. However, sometimes you will have to talk about situations that are painful, but it's how you will work through it and free yourself from the pent up emotions that may be contributing to your depression. Keeping problems to yourself won't help them go away. You need to deal with them and learn how to solve them. Even when there isn't a specific solution, understanding why this horrible situation happened can help you develop a different perception and change your feelings toward it.
How Long Do You Need Treatment
While a combination of medication and therapy is the best cure for depression, you may not be completely cured. Many depression sufferers need to either continue their medication, therapy or both for many years. It all depends on your specific situation and brain chemistry.
Best Cure for Mild Depression
If you recently experienced a traumatic event, you may suffer from mild depression symptoms. You're not feeling like you can't continue on with life, but you also don't feel like yourself. This is a normal reaction to trauma. You may not have a chemical imbalance, but you need to deal with the situation effectively. Here are some ways you can help your mild depression:
- Talk to someone
Talking to someone whether it's a friend, family member or therapist, will help you vent many of the feelings you are holding on to.
- Gain control of the situation
Many times, people experience depression because they feel helpless in a situation. If you can find some way to gain control of what is causing you to feel defeated, it will help you feel confident and give you a different perspective on how to deal with the issue.
- Be good to yourself
Don't beat yourself up over not being able to deal with your issue as well as you think you should be able to. You're doing the best you can with what you have, and sometimes you may just need to take a break from the situation before coming back to it to handle it effectively.
Another part of being good to yourself is taking care of your body and mind. Be sure to eat healthy foods, get enough sleep and exercise. Doing all of this will give you energy and improve your mood so you are able to deal with stressers.
- Seek medical guidance if necessary
Pay attention to how your feelings are affecting your life. If you begin pushing friends and family away, missing work or school or are having thoughts of harming yourself, it's time to seek medical attention. You may need to take some medication temporarily to help you get on that stable platform so you can finally overcome your challenging situation.
You've Started Curing Your Depression
Simply reading how to cure your depression is a great first step in feeling better. Your next step is to do what it takes to begin relieving your symptoms, whether it's medication, therapy or working on it yourself. In time, you will feel like yourself again and be a stronger person because of it.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 208 times. This page was last modified 16:08, 22 November 2009.
© 2006-2010 LoveToKnow Corp.
Subscribe with RSS
See all RSS feeds
Visit us on facebook