Chronic Depression Treatment

The chronic depression treatment or the therapeutic approach to this psychological disorder is possible only following medical diagnosis. The main symptoms include vague feelings of sadness that tend to aggravate, changes in the eating and sleeping patterns, negative thinking, self-blame and guilt, difficulty to have relationships and low energy levels. The list of symptoms could be longer, varying greatly from case to case.

Diversity of chronic depression treatment

Anti-depressants as the basis for drug therapy are meant to restore the chemical balance at the brain level, which is usually identified as the main cause of depression.

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs include fluoxetine and sertaline. They increase the level of serotonin and give a sense of well-being. These drugs give moderate adverse reactions.
• Tricyclic antidepressants or TCA give more serious side effects.
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs block the action of certain enzymes at the level of the central nervous system.

There is also quite a number of therapies that offer chronic depression treatment. The most popular are cognitive-behavioral therapies, but alternative or complementary therapies like acupuncture, aromatherapy or color therapy also enjoy great popularity too.

Solve the cause not treat the symptoms!

While drugs will only treat the symptoms, it is for the therapy part to identify the roots of depression. Causes vary from case to case and they may be deeply rooted in the subconscious that the patient is not even aware of them.

If you don’t see improvement following chronic depression treatment, changes in medication and therapeutic approach may be necessary. If you are not pleased with your therapist and you can’t open up to him/her, you should change the professional.

Moreover, it is essential that the patient learns how to manage his/her personal condition individually, using positive thinking and the strategies learned in therapy. Otherwise the chances of success may be reduced for any chronic depression treatment no matter how promising.