Treatment of Depression

Depression is very serious mental illness which is very common and greatly affects quality of life of affected person. The common believe that depression is sign of psychological weakness and that can be cured with strong will is incorrect, while depressive people can make themselves to feel better. For that reason depression requires diagnosis and treatment like any other disease or illness. Despite the seriousness the WHO reports that only about 30% of people suffering from depression is being properly diagnosed and treated.

A person that is having symptoms of depression needs to seek professional help immediately. Depression can be distinguished from depressive mood for being more intense, persistent and affecting one's daily activities. However, since depression itself can be a symptom of other psychiatric disorders it requires a professional diagnosis. Depression can not be confirmed or rejected by laboratory tests like other diseases. For that reason diagnosis is made on basis of an interview by a psychiatrist or psychologist who determines the type and severity of depression from which depends the type of treatment.

Milder forms of depression usually do not require any medications and can be effectively treated with psychotherapy. Psychotherapy aims to help the depressed person through communication, dialogue and several other techniques which can be performed by psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and licensed clinical social workers. In more complex and severe depression can be used combination of psychotherapy and medications - antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors commonly known as SSRIs which help to re-establish balance of neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. The SSRIs are one of the most frequently prescribed antidepressants with relatively mild side effects and do not cause addiction even in longer use.

The severest forms of depression which are not responding to other treatments is used electrovulsive therapy (shock therapy) which is very effective treatment of severe depressions despite the controversial treatment, cognitive effects and safety concerns. Electrovulsive therapy is appropriate only for the severest forms of depressions, when a patient is not responding to antidepressant treatment or is representing a threat to himself or others. Electrovulsive therapy might result short and long-term memory loss.