Depression is real, it can cause substantial damage if not properly managed. Although depression makes one feel hopeless, most depression even the severest of them can be treated. If you or your someone you know has depression professional care is highly recommended. Your practitioner will provide proper assessment and treatment recommendations. Depression affects everyone differently and differs from one individual to another. Therefore, the management of depression should be case-based. There is no “one size fits all” cure for it. Medication therapy, psychotherapy or both may be recommended to relieve that symptom that is associated with depression. The combination therapy has been documented to have higher improvement rates with chronic and complex cases.
Antidepressant is known to work very well with depression. It is also known that medication that works for one family member will likely work well for the depressed individual. Therefore, do not hesitate to tell your practitioner if any member of your family has depression and what medications worked for them. Antidepressants take time to effectively affect your system (2to 4 weeks). Therefore do not stop your medication if you do not see an immediate result. Moreover, suddenly stopping a medication without talking to your doctor may lead to unpleasant withdrawal side effects. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most used therapy for the management of depression. This type of therapy is based on addressing the dysfunctional negative view that is seen in depressed individuals. It helps individuals to identify and modify their maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. CBT works because of its structure and didactic form. Research has proven its effectiveness with patients of all ages and stages of depression (ADAA,2019).
Tips on depression management
- Do your research: learning as much as you can about depression makes you comfortable when discussing it with your practitioner. It can also help you to identify if there are any underlying medical conditions that could because of your symptoms.
- Work with your practitioner to create a treatment plan: when talking to your Medical Practitioner, be sure to highlight parts of the plan that will work for you and the parts that won’t work. The treatment plan requires compliance to be effective.
- Medications are not magic: medications should be used with lifestyle changes. Relying on them alone will relieve your symptoms but having coping mechanisms is very important. Lifestyle changes such as exercise, sleep, stress reduction, good nutrition, social support and therapy, and coping mechanisms will work unconjectured with medications.
- Social support and time: Depression likes isolation, in other to protect yourself from it social connections are imperative. Family, friend and support groups are very helpful to the treatment of depression.
References:
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).2019. Understanding the Facts Depression Treatment and management. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression-treatment-management
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Help Guide. 2019. Depression Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/depression-treatment.htm