Treating Depression Tips

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What are some alternatie treatment for treating adult depression?

Alternative Treatments for Adult Depression

Adults suffering from depression can use alternative treatments besides prescription medications. Alternative or complimentary medicine comes from the Eastern world and treats the entire body and mind as one and not separate body parts. They believe if the mind is not well, then the entire bodies energy is not flowing properly.

Some alternative treatment options for adults suffering from depression are:

• Acupuncture – Certain points of the body or Meridians are slightly pinched with small, steel, thin needles while relaxing.
• Chiropractic care – The aligning of the body starting from the head down to the feet.
• Massage therapy – Allows relaxation of the body and mind together and getting rid of toxins which can cause infections by breaking up the nodes where tension sits.
• Chelation – The distribution of vitamins and supplements given to the body through an IV.
• Balancing of vitamins, supplements, and diet – Keeping the body chemicals balanced.
• Allergies – There are theories that adults suffering from depression are affected by wheat, sugar, milk, and yeast products. Also, sensitivity to smells like perfumes, cleaning products, or plastics can also cause a depression episode.

Each adult has to find which treatment works best for them; many times it could be a combination of alternative medicine and prescription drugs. Consult a therapist who is familiar with the different treatments for depression in adults.

   
What treatment options can help teenagers, adults, or seniors suffering from depression?

Treatment Options for Teenagers, Adults, and Seniors Suffering from Depression

No matter what age you are, suffering from depression is not an easy way to live. There are many treatment options from prescription medications to alternative therapies and psychotherapy groups. But what if outside sources, which you could control, partially could help with the treatment of your depression?

Some options for teenagers, adults, and seniors suffering from depression are:

• Mild to Moderate exercise – taking a 10-20 minute walk, chair exercise, standing outside and breathing in the fresh air.
• Music – Listening, attending concerts, participating in sing-alongs; music is known to lift the mood of many people no matter their age.
• Pets – The companionship a pet offers is beneficial to a sufferer of depression. Their love and trust makes a depressed person feel wanted and it gives them a daily responsibility to get out of bed in
the morning.
• Volunteering to help others

   
What are psychotherapy options for adult depression?

Adult Depression and Psychotherapy

When adults are suffering from depression, the loss of control can drive them to have anxiety since many have never experienced this sickness before. It is hard to openly speak to a spouse or a friend about what they are feeling inside and many depressed adults seek the help of a counselor or psychotherapist.

Some factors to expect when a depressed adult begins therapy are:

• First, an adult should get a physical to make sure the psychological problems aren't occurring from a physical issue.

• When therapy is started, the positive effect is often strong and many depressed adults begin to feel “cured.” The reasoning is the adult finally found someone to share their feelings with in a safe environment.

The difference between counseling and psychotherapy is a counselor teaches the adult how to solve their problems while a therapist helps with understanding the underlying behavior patterns and stopping them.

   
Can therapy help senior depression?

Treating Senior Depression with Therapy

Most seniors suffering from depression have found that treating their symptoms with different therapies is more helpful than prescription medication. Speaking to a trusting therapist allows the senior to feel more justified in their feelings.

A few ways of approaching therapy for a depressed senior are:

• Supportive counseling: This usually is a group formed from a religious group or peers. Similar to group therapy, the cost is a minimal payment and allows the senior to not feel like they are the only one who is suffering from depression.
• Cognitive Behavioral therapy: CBT is a way for seniors to decide between problems which they can solve or not. It also helps to decide which problems are out of their control and teaches coping skills.
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy: This form of therapy helps in resolving personal and relationship conflicts.

   
What are other environments depressed adults can seek treatment?

Changing Treatment Environments for Adult Depression

Besides prescription medications and therapy sessions, are there any other options for an adult suffering from depression? Sometimes the treatment is correct but the environment is wrong.

Some options for adults suffering from depression who want to change their environment while being treated are:

• Community mental health centers or CMHC
• Hospital psychiatry departments and outpatient clinics
• State hospital outpatient clinics
• Private clinics and facilities
• Family service or social agencies
• Local medical or psychiatric organizations

Sometimes there are also self-help programs which can change the attitude of the suffering depressed adult.

   
What are psychotherapy treatment options for teens?

Psychotherapy Treatment for Teenage Depression

Psychotherapy is a treatment used for depression in teenagers. This process is highly based on the confidence of relationship between a patient and therapist. What makes psychotherapy chosen by most depressed teens is the ability to speak to a trusting adult and knowing the person is fully listening to their thoughts and feelings.

Some of the positive aspects of psychotherapy are:

• Feedback is provided

• The teen can speak openly to talk out their feelings in a safe environment
• The therapist serves as a guide to the emotions the teen is feeling
Sessions last 45-50 minutes and the teen sees the therapists one to two times per week.

   
Which prescription medications can be used to treat Adult depression?

Treating Adult Depression with Prescription Medications

Adult depression affects over one million people worldwide each year and many go untreated. Sufferers assume that their reaction and feelings are normal and never seek the proper treatment.

For the adults who get treatment for their depression, there are options with prescription medication that have helped many sufferers.

• Lithium: For severe depression, lithium is used to prevent manic episodes from occurring. There are side effects which make this medication not the first choice among adult sufferers.
• Depakote: This drug is an anticonvulsant used to treat epilepsy. In 1995, Depakote was approved to treat depression and worked similar to lithium but with fewer side effects.
• Antidepressants: One of the most common prescription medications used, AD's take three to four weeks to see if they help the adult suffering from depression. Many antidepressants and different doses are tried before finding the correct combination.

   
What are some Alternative Treatments to help teenage depression?

Alternative Medicine for the Treatment of Depression in Teenagers

Alternative medicine practices, also known as Eastern medicine, believes in treating the entire body for mental illness, not just the mind or the body. For teenagers to begin to feel better emotional, alternative medicine can give this desire to them.

By treating the entire body for depression, body aches, cluttered mind, and low self-esteem all can be treated at once through the many options. Some treatment options that teens have found helped with their depression are:

• Art Therapy
• Changing to a balanced and nutritional diet
• Energy therapies like acupressure, acupuncture, reiki, qi gong, or thai chi
• Yoga

By combating teen depression as an overall mind / body treatment, it teaches the teen at a young age how to change their behavior naturally without the use of abusing drugs or alcohol.

   
Can teens be prescribed medications for their depression?

Prescription Medications and Teenage Depression

Teenagers have become a large population of people who suffer from depression and treating each teen with prescription medication can be tough, especially when their bodies are going through changes. The chemicals and hormones constantly changing throughout the teenage years can make it difficult to find the right combination of medications, but once the correct chemical balance is found, the teen begins to feel like themselves again.

Prescription medications which are used for treating teenage depression have to be monitored. A therapist who specializes in teen depression is suggested when seeking an antidepressant. A teen's body chemistry is very different than an adult and needs to be considered and watched over when choosing a medication.

   
Are prescribed medications an option for senior depression?

Prescribed Medications for the Treatment of Senior Depression

Seniors suffering from depression is a normal emotional due to growing older, but senior depression is also a serious illness. Some factors contributing to a depressed senior are psychological, environmental, physical, and medication side effects. Seniors tend to worry about diseases and their second half of life; due to this the anxiety they bring on can lead a senior into a depression.

Some prescribed medications which can help a depressed senior are antidepressants, but these are prescribed with caution. Seniors tend to be on other prescription medications which can interact badly with antidepressants so take precautions before beginning a new medicine to treat a senior with depression.

   
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