Can Depression Be Treated Without Antidepressants

How To Treat Depression Without Antidepressants: Breath

Breathwork is life-changing with the amount of peace and clarity it brings into your life. Adding this modality into your daily routines and healing techniques alone will be enough to treat mental disease.

The physical benefits of deep breathing are immediate, as it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing down your heart rate and blood pressure, which is usually racing when intrusive, racing thoughts are flooding your mind. Breathing deeply will bring you back into the present moment and back into your body which will flood your being with the peace of mind you are craving.

Deep breathing also allows you to clear the energetic heaviness one feels when struggling with depression. It is a literal physical release of what no longer is servingmoving the energy out of your body and releasing it into the Universe.

Utilizing breath work while you are doing shadow work will be the game changer in your healing journal. It will allow you to access deeply embedded stored emotions that arent always accessible through the introspective question process. Some of these traumas are stored deeply within the body due to the mind blocking these memories from your memory to protect you from the pain.

During your breathwork process, I recommend that you are focus on the following:

Breathword, meditation, and herbal remedies can help ease withdrawal symptoms

Eating Right And Exercising

Moderate exercise five times a week for 30 minutes a day can dramatically increase your mood. Moderate exercise describes a level of activity where singing from your diaphragm is challenging. In addition to training, you should also pay attention to the food or drinks youre consuming as they have an influence over your mood. A fad diet is unnecessary, but anyone will be depressed if they binge on junk food, carbs, and energy drinkseverything in moderation.

Guided Imagery And Music Therapy

Guided imagery is a form of meditation in which you envision a goal in as much detail as you can. This technique uses the power of positive thinking to help attain something specific, like happiness.

Music therapy has been used to help improve the moods of people with depression. Sometimes it involves listening to music that promotes relaxation and positivity. Other times, it involves singing as a form of therapy.

One study showed that both of these therapy types could help decrease stress and improve mood.

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What Antidepressants Are Available

There are various medications for the treatment of . They can be split up into different groups. This article is mainly about the most commonly used antidepressants:

• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors
• Selective serotonin noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors

Tricyclic antidepressants have been on the market the longest. They are considered to be first-generation antidepressants. SSRIs and SNRIs are second-generation antidepressants.

The following are prescribed less often:

• Adrenergic alpha-2 receptor antagonists
• Selective noradrenaline/dopamine re-uptake inhibitors
• Melatonin receptor agonists and serotonin 5-HT2C receptor antagonists

There are also medications that don’t belong to any group, as well as herbal products such as St. John’s wort.

There Are More Than One Depression Treatment

Treat depression at home

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Is it possible to cure depression without antidepressants? There is a simple answer to this question: Yes. Yes, it is. Most people dont know that you can treat depression at home, medication-free. If they do, most people dont know how. The fact is, you dont need pills to reduce depressive symptoms or even to recover from depression. By making a few lifestyle changes at home, your symptoms may decrease significantly or disappear altogether. This text introduces five different treatments for depression and none of them includes antidepressant medication.

Treat depression at home

So, what are the five treatments for depression?

Well, similar to a car engine, the human body needs a few basic conditions to stay in a good mood. According to health research, there are at least five different ways to treat depression at home, without medication, by making lifestyle changes. Fortunately, four out of five ways are completely free. Here they are:

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How To Treat Depression Without Antidepressants: Shadow Work

The benefits of getting off antidepressants are realized when you bravely face your darkness. By shedding light on your demons, traumas, wounds, toxic habits, and any other skeletons in the closet. That part of your inner darkness is what you will be focusing on through this process. The scary parts of you that you want to hide from. These are pieces of you that directly affect your day-to-day life by running your subconscious habits, looping you in the cycles of dissatisfaction.

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung

Antidepressants cloud the mind and prevent you from truly feeling and processing emotions.

Antidepressant Alternative: Treating Depression Without Drugs

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is an example of an effective antidepressant alternative. Medication is typically the first course of action when it comes to treating depression, but it does not always get the desired results. Some patients react negatively to the chemicals in some antidepressants, and some side effects can be life-threatening.

When antidepressants have failed to reduce a patients symptoms of depression, a doctor might recommend an antidepressant alternative like TMS therapy, psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, mindfulness, and electroconvulsive shock therapy.

Also Check: What Causes Treatment Resistant Depression

Tend To Your Social Life

When you’re depressed, there’s no reason to go it alone, and there are all sorts of reasons to reach out to friends and family. Make plans with loved ones and keep those dates. Join a club or sign up for a group activity such as a local dodgeball league or a French class.

Other things you might try:

• Join a support group. Talking to other people who are going through similar experiences and challenges can be informative and helpful.
• Schedule activities. Having routines can be helpful when you are going through depression. Create a daily schedule that includes spending time with others. You are more likely to stick to it if it’s a scheduled event.
• Volunteer.Joining a cause that you care about is a great way to meet new people and expand your social circle.

The problem is that depression often causes people to withdraw, which only further exacerbates feelings of isolation and loneliness. Even when you don’t feel like going out or being social, try reaching out in whatever way is most comfortable for you. Enlist a few of your closest loved ones who understand what you are experiencing.

Doing the things you used to do might not bring you quite the same enjoyment when you are depressed, but getting out of the house and spending time with people who care about you can help you feel better.

Your Concerns About Medication

Its great that youve talked to your doctor about your depression. Many people dont bring it up with their doctor unless theyre directly asked. Starting a conversation is a great way to learn more about treatment options.

All medication has a risk of side effects and antidepressants are no exception. Perhaps your husband knows someone who warns against taking a certain medication because when they took it, they just didnt feel like themselves. Or maybe youve seen commercials for medications that warn of a lengthy list of potential side effects, ranging from weight gain to lack of sexual desire.

Sometimes, the side effects sound like issues that could even make you feel more depressed. After all, trouble sleeping , might ultimately contribute to depression.

The good news is, with careful monitoring from a physician, side effects can usually be managed. It may mean changing doses or switching medications altogether.

If you didnt have a chance to ask your physician questions about medication options, it may help to do so. You might also inquire about a referral to a psychiatrista doctor who prescribes in mental health medications. You can always ask questions about which medication a doctor would recommend to learn what you might expect in terms of side effects so you can make an informed decision.

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Pros And Cons Of Therapy

Therapy is a valuable opportunity for you to learn more about yourself and how your brain processes thoughts and emotions. It can also teach you skills to manage future challenges you may encounter.

Psychotherapy is a tool to help you understand the psychosocial contexts of stress. In therapy, you can learn about how to better navigate these stressors.

Your therapist can help you in several areas, such as:

• overcoming past pain
• boosting self-esteem
• improving outlook

Plus, therapy doesnt have side effects the way that antidepressant medication does, and its becoming more accessible as many therapists are starting to use online therapy platforms.

In the United States, federal law protects your right to access all types of mental health treatments, including psychotherapy. The Affordable Care Act has also expanded that access, even to people who previously couldnt afford insurance. As a result, now can be a great time to try psychotherapy, thanks to more insurance plans covering at least a few sessions.

Starting therapy can be very intimidating at first because you might not want to share your thoughts with another person or worry that they may judge you for the feelings you express. Therapy works best in an environment of trust, which does take time to genuinely develop.

It can take a while to build a strong rapport with your therapist, and the first one you see may not be the best fit for you or your needs.

Misconception: Antidepressants Make You Forget Your Issues While They Still Exist And You Dont Have To Face Them

Truth: Antidepressants do not make you forget your deep-seated issues.

What they do is make it somewhat easier for you to deal with problems.

Someone experiencing depression may feel like their perception is distorted and their problems and it may feel like they are drained and do not have the energy to deal with the problems, but antidepressants help with this symptom.

Also, most psychotherapists say that when their patients are taking antidepressants, it helps them make more progress in psychotherapy, as their mind I clearer and they have the energy to face their problems.

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Depression Treatment Is Unique To Each Individual

There are different ways of treating depression. A treatment method that works for someone else, may not work for you. Working with your doctor to find the right depression treatment can take time. If the first treatment method doesnt work, it doesnt mean that you are a failure or that youll never find relief from your symptoms.

Resources:

1. Ionescu DF, Rosenbaum JF, Alpert JE. Pharmacological approaches to the challenge of treatment-resistant depression. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2015 17:111-126. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4518696/. Accessed October 08, 2020.

2. Sansone RA, Sansone LA. Antidepressant adherence: are patients taking their medications?. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2012 9:41-46. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3398686/. Accessed October 08, 2020.

3. McClintock SM, Reti IM, Carpenter LL, et al. Consensus Recommendations for the Clinical Application of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2018 79:16cs10905. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5846193/. Accessed October 08, 2020.

4. Yvette Brazier. CBT and antidepressants equally effective for major depression. Medical News Today. Published February 09, 2016. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306189.php#1. Accessed October 08, 2020.

Individual Or Group Therapy

When you hear the word therapy you might automatically think of one-on-one sessions with a therapist. However, group therapy can be very useful in depression treatment as well. Both group and individual therapy sessions usually last about an hour. What are the benefits of each? In individual therapy, you are building a strong relationship with one person, and may feel more comfortable sharing some sensitive information with one person than with a group. You also get individualized attention.

In group therapy, listening to peers going through the same struggles can validate your experiences and help build self-esteem. Often group members are at different points in their depression, so you might get tips from both someone in the trenches and someone who has worked through a challenging problem. As well as offering inspiration and ideas, attending group therapy can also help increase your social activities and network.

When the going gets tough in therapy

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How Can We Keep Our Stone Age Brain Happy

Brains can change, and we have the capacity to change them. The key is finding the most effective ways to do that. Enter neuroscience. The chemistry of our brain is very responsive to what we do for better or worse. Depending on the choices we make, we can deplete it or enrich it.

In preliminary clinical trials comparing the effect of lifestyle changes against antidepressants, researchers found that lifestyle choices brought about a reduction in depressive symptoms almost three times that experienced by the antidepressant group. There are six primary lifestyle factors that have been proven to protect the brain against depression and reduce depressive symptoms and Ilardi details them in his book, The Depression Cure. Interestingly, these lifestyle factors are remarkably close to the way we would have been doing things had we been living in the Stone Age.

What To Eat To Treat Depression

The best way to start treating depressive symptoms is to add:

• Vegetables
• Nuts
• Seeds

to your diet. It will actually decrease depression, because a well-nourished body is better at handling stress, recovering from illnesses and difficult life events.World-leading expert on diet and mental health, Professor Felice N Jacka at the Department of Psychiatry at Deakin University, has studied the effects of the traditional Mediterranean diet on depression. The antidepressant diet includes whole grains, fish, vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts, seeds and, of course, the unrivaled cold pressed olive oil.Professor Jacka and her colleagues conducted the SMILES trial in 2017. It showed that 30% of depressed participants recovered from depression just by changing their eating habits. It means that you can too. If you want to know exactly what and how much to eat and what to avoid to reduce depressive symptoms, check out the free therapy app from Flow Neuroscience: . Its a complete treatment programme for depression, including facts, exercises and helpful tools for how to treat depression with the antidepressant diet.Or, read more about how your diet can help you recover from depression in this article: An easily digested guide to diet and depression.Now, lets move on to our next medication-free depression treatment.

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How Well Do Antidepressants Work

Most people are able to find an antidepressant that helps their depression. But you may have to try a few before you find one that works for you. The right medicine is one that helps your symptoms and has the fewest side effects.

You may start to feel better within 1 to 3 weeks after you start taking an antidepressant. But you may need to take it for as long as 6 to 8 weeks to see more improvement.

It’s best to keep taking your medicine for at least 6 months after you feel better. If this is not the first time you have been depressed, your doctor may want you to take these medicines even longer.

The thought of needing to take medicine for a long time can be scary. But many people are able to slowly stop taking antidepressants after a while.

Antidepressants can change how you feel and respond in certain situations, but they don’t change who you are. You may feel more relaxed, more social, more assertive, or more outgoing when you are taking an antidepressant.

Depression treated only with antidepressants, and not also with therapy, is more likely to come back later.

Treating Depression Without Medication

For those seeking a more natural approach to the condition, learning positive coping skills is a must. The following techniques below are supported by medication prescribers and scientific research as methods that help depression. These skills are commonly recommended as essential parts of treatment, even for those using antidepressant medications.

Please note, these are suggestions, and if youre already using antidepressant medication, you shouldnt stop abruptly without your doctors approval.

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How Is Depression Diagnosed

To be diagnosed with depression, an individual must have five depression symptoms every day, nearly all day, for at least 2 weeks. One of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities. Children and adolescents may be irritable rather than sad.

If you think you may have depression, talk to your health care provider. Primary care providers routinely diagnose and treat depression and refer individuals to mental health professionals, such as psychologists or psychiatrists.

During the visit, your provider may ask when your symptoms began, how long they last, how often they occur, and if they keep you from going out or doing your usual activities. It may help to make some notes about your symptoms before your visit. Certain medications and some medical conditions, such as viruses or a thyroid disorder, can cause the same depression symptoms. Your provider can rule out these possibilities by doing a physical exam, interview, and lab tests.

Read NIMHs Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Provider to help prepare for and get the most out of your visit. For additional resources, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website.