Depression Treatment and Depression Therapy - what
are my options?
Depression is an illness that comes in various
stages so the treatment that you will receive depends
on the severity of your condition. In most cases of
depression however you will receive a combination of
medication and psychological therapies / counselling.
The various stages of depression that I am referring
to are of course mild depression, moderate depression
and severe depression (clinical depression).
Depression is a very serious health condition
regardless of what stage you are suffering from and
it requires treatment / therapy / counselling as soon
as possible.
Mild depression is generally treated with what is
known as watchful waiting. Within this treatment you
will have another assessment in about two
weeks time as a way of monitoring your
progress. Antidepressants are generally not
prescribed for mild depression; instead you might be
asked to participate in an exercise regiment with or
without a personal trainer. Several studies have
demonstrated that exercise may be equivalent to an
the use of an antidepressant or therapy in
alleviating the symptoms of depression. This will
generally be combined with counselling for
depression treatment or therapy with an
opportunity to explore the difficulties you have
encountered in your life. Sometimes a referral to a
local self help group can be helpful.
Some individuals will find that reading self help
books which are focused on the
treatment of depression can be enourmously
helpful. A book called The Mindful Way through
Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappines
“The Mindful Way Through Depression” by
several well known authors including Zindel Segal a
professor at the University of Toronto. Several well
known studies at major universities have demonstrated
that meditation and mindfulness based approaches to
the can be very helpful. Another book which can be
helpful for depression is called the
Feeling Good Handbook. A third book to be
considered by those looking for a workbook on
depression is “The Cognitive Behavioral
Workbook for Depression”. It has been my
experience that reading a self directed book on
depression can be very helpful when combined with
counselling.
Mild depression, if left untreated, can easily
develop into moderate depression. If this is the case
your GP may start to prescribe you antidepressants
as form of depression treatment. For many people this helps them get a grip on their depression. In some cases however the depression can spiral further and develop into clinical depression; one of the more severe forms. When depression gets to this stage the treatment that is used combines antidepressants with talking therapy / counselling. Also cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a form of counselling or therapy that has been shown in research studies to be particularly effective for depression. If your depression continues after you have had the following done then you may be referred to a mental health team. These mental health teams are generally made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and specialist nurses and other capable of providing counselling for depression.
It is said that only an estimated 1/3 of people
who are suffering from depression actually receive
the correct treatment or counselling. This is a
shocking figure considering that depression is a
progressive illness so the correct treatment is
needed straight away to stop the disease getting
worse. It is vital that depression is dealt with as
soon as possible as it disrupts your life.
The two most common forms of
depression treatment are antidepressants and therapy. In most cases of depression you will generally be treated with a combination of these two treatments. If this is the case the next step that will need to be taken is deciding which antidepressant you are prescribed.
Some of the antidepressants that are commonly used to treat depression are as follows:
Tricyclics – take about two weeks to work and
can also be used as a sedative, which will help you
if you are suffering anxiety as well as your
depression. It has been known that some people
experience troublesome side effects with
tricyclics.
Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors – a
major type of antidepressant that tends to cause
fewer side effects. Many people find them easier to
take than other types of antidepressants.
Monamine oxidase inhibitors – these are not
prescribed that often. They are more of a last resort
when patients have failed to respond to other
treatment. This is because when patients are taking
them they need to follow a specific diet.
Treatment
for depressionis generally highly successful but
despite this it is possible for depression to return
some time after the treatment has ended. The
antidepressants and the therapy are designed to try
and stop this from happening but if you do start to
suffer the effects of depression again it is
important that you once again seek help
immediately.
Regardless of what stage your depression has reached
there is help available to you so please don't suffer
alone. Get in touch with your GP today and start your
road to recovery now.
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Couselling services and Psychotherapy services are available in the following Canadian cities.
Toronto
Montreal
Laval
Vancouver
Surrey
Longueuil
Calgary
Ottawa
Edmonton
Quebec City
Winnipeg
Lovis
Hamilton
Burlington
London
Kitchener
Cambridge
Waterloo
St.
Catharines
Niagara
Halifax
Oshawa
Victoria
Windsor
Saskatoon
Regina
Sherbrooke
St.
John's
Barrie
Kelowna
Abbotsford
Greater Sudbury Kingston
Saguenay Trois-Rivi�res
Guelph
Moncton
Brantford
Thunder
Bay
Saint
John
Peterborough
Chatham-Kent
Cape
Breton
Lethbridge
Kamloops
Nanaimo
Sarnia
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Fredericton
Prince
George
Red Deer
Chilliwack
Sault
Ste. Marie
Drummondville
Kawartha
Lakes
Grande
Prairie
Medicine
Hat
Granby
North
Bay Norfolk
Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Shawinigan
Saint-Hyacinthe
Vernon
Wood
Buffalo Leamington
Courtenay
Victoriaville
Sorel-Tracy
Brandon
Rimouski
Truro
Joliette Penticton
Timmins
Duncan
Prince
Albert
Orillia
Rouyn-Noranda
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Brockville
Campbell
River
New
Glasgow
Woodstock
Midland
Moose
Jaw
Alma
Val-d'Or
Owen
Sound
Bathurst
Saint-Georges
Stratford
Baie-Comeau
Sept-�les
Lloydminster
Corner
Brook
Parksville
Thetford
Mines
Centre
Wellington
Kentville
Port
Alberni Fort
St. John
Miramichi
Rivi�re-du-Loup
Cranbrook
Pembroke
