Major Depression Treatment and Counseling

Treating Major Depression

Therapy treatments are one of the best ways to overcome Major Depression

The treatment for Major Depression (also known as Major Depressive Disorder and Clinical Depression) is much different than that from just any type of depression. Major Depression is considered a mental illness, not just a state of feeling “down,” and therefore, caring for Major Depressive Disorder is taken very seriously. For curing one’s Major Depression, it is important that the individual first go to see a psychiatrist or other healthcare professional, so that the psychiatristcan properly diagnose one’s depression to be Clinical Depression rather than some of depression’s other forms. Once diagnosed, the psychiatrist will plan a course of treatment for the individual. Usually, the most common types of treatment for Major Depression are prescribed medication and/or therapy treatment.

Depression Medication Treatment

Depression medications, otherwise known as antidepressants, are commonly prescribed by medical professionals to individuals diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Though there are various types of antidepressants, most depression medications work by affecting or altering the chemicals in the brain to change the mood of the depressed individual so that he or she can be happy again and start behaving more “normally”. Among the group of most common antidepressants are:

1. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s) – most doctors prescribe SSRI’s first to a patient with Clinical Depression because these medications are generally safer and have less severe side-effects than the others. Common SSRI’s include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro). The most common side effects include decreased sexual desire and delayed orgasm, and can include others such as digestive problems, headaches, restlessness, jitteriness, and insomnia.

2. Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI’s) – The most common SNRI’s include duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor XR) and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) and their side effects are similar to those caused by SSRIs. Other side effects can include sweating, increased heart rate, dry mouth, and constipation.

3. Norepinephrine and Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRI’s) – The most common NDRI’s include bupropoin (Wellbutrin), which is one of the few antidepressants that doesn’t produce sexual side effects. High doses of this medication can increase the risk of seizures.

4. Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI’s) and Tricyclic Antidepressants – These medications aren’t usually prescribed unless the previous medications are ineffective. This is because they can have numerous or severe side effects. The most common MAOI’s are tranylcypromine (Parnate) and phenelzine (Nardil).

Determining the right medication and dosage for one’s Major Depression may take time, and therefore, it is important to be patient and to follow the instructions given by your doctor. The effectiveness of some medications may not appear for several weeks and some side effects may take time to go away before your body adjusts to your antidepressant. Lastly, if you are experiencing intolerable side effects from your medication, pregnant or at the risk of being pregnant, it is important to notify your medical specialist before discontinuing the medicine. At times, it can be worse to suddenly discontinue use of a drug rather than reduce the dosage over the time.

Depression Therapy Treatment

With regards to Major Depression Therapy, the type of therapy will vary based upon what the psychiatrist feels appropriate to combat the depressive disorder. There exist both communicative and physical types of therapy, as listed below:

1. Psychotherapy is the most common type of communicative therapy administered by a psychiatrist for Clinical Depression and consists of some arrangement of cognitive behavior therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. These three kinds of therapy help to counsel the mind and to help reverse the negative thought process.

2. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), much less common, and used when psychotherapy is ineffective, when the individual cannot take antidepressants, or in severe cases of depression, consists of electric currents being passed through the brain to alleviate one’s Major Depressive Disorder. However, with this method, there may be temporary side effects of memory loss and confusion.

3. Hospitalization is used only in extreme cases and when there is a high risk that the individual may put him or herself at harm or commit suicide. Sometimes only partial hospitalization is needed until the individual is able to care for him or herself again.