How to treat depression?

There are many ways to treat depression, the most common way is to treat the symptoms of the disease.

Use psychotherapy

Psychotherapy can teach you new ways of thinking and behaving, changing habits that contribute to your depression. It can also help you understand and overcome difficult relationships or situations that cause or worsen depression.

Use medicine

The medications used are antidepressants. Some common medications include Escitalopram, Paroxetine, Sertraline, Fluoxetine, and Citalopram. These are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Other medications include Venlafaxine, Duloxetine, and Bupropion. These antidepressants can have side effects such as: headaches, nausea; trouble sleeping and nervousness; agitation or restlessness; and sexual problems.

You must be very careful when using antidepressants because they can cause patients (especially children, teenagers and people who are agitated) to have suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide before the drug actually takes effect.

Certain medications that help increase sleep and appetite may be prescribed for patients with related symptoms, but it usually takes about 2-3 weeks before these medications take effect.

Electroconvulsive therapy

For severe depression that cannot be treated with medication or psychotherapy, doctors may use electroconvulsive therapy. However, this therapy can cause side effects such as confusion or memory loss, usually only for a short period of time.

Other treatments

It is also advisable to go out and have fun with the type of art that you are not bored with. Do not miss the opportunity, and above all, try to arrange to participate in collective activities at the office to meet colleagues and create new joys. In community activities, you will find yourself useful to others and loved by others.

Take a piece of paper and draw a vertical line down the middle. On the left side, write down all the things you are worried about, one by one. On the right side, write down the reasons for that feeling. Come up with evidence to show why it is wrong and write it down.

To change your priorities, come up with a new, exciting, but achievable goal. For example, take a day off to visit a girlfriend in another city or buy a new pair of sweatpants. Describe each step in detail.

Seasonal depression is a time to start fresh. Change your routine: start going to the pool, add in an evening walk, rain or shine…

Every day, create a little joy for yourself and your family: buy movie tickets, give a new book, do your hair, eat something new.

Change something in the apartment: rearrange the furniture, replace the curtains, change the carpet, reposition the flower pots…

Prepare a detailed plan for the next day the night before, trying not to have any free time.

Invite your best friend to a coffee shop or home, share all your worries, even cry together until you laugh.

Talk therapy

In addition to antidepressants, your doctor may recommend talk therapy. A psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, or even a general practitioner can help with talk therapy.

The most important thing is to find someone who is trained and who you feel comfortable talking to. Don’t give up if you can’t find the right person. Find someone else to talk to.

Talking to others can help you find solutions to life's problems or learn a different way of looking at things. Research shows that for people with severe depression, talk therapy combined with antidepressants can be helpful.

You can refer to the above treatments to treat your loved ones or yourself when suffering from depression.

According to VNN