Depression Treatment

Depression treatment depends on many factors: the type of depression, the severity of the depression, how long the patient has been depressed, the overall health of the patient, what other medications the depressed person is taking, and more. Treating depression is not a simple matter.

These days, most people think that the best depression treatment is taking a pill, due to the wide variety of antidepressant medications available and how aggressively they are promoted to doctors and also to the general public through television, radio and print ads. You can hardly open a magazine or turn on the television without seeing an ad for Paxil or Zoloft or Wellbutrin or other pills for treating depression.

These medications are not magic pills that, once taken, cause depression to vanish. These medications affect people differently, and care must be taken to find the correct depression treatment for each individual. Paxil works for some people, but not for others; the same could be said for each different pill for treating depression.

How long someone takes an antidepressant is another important factor. Most of the newer depression treatment drugs, like Paxil and Zoloft, fall in the category of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These usually must be taken for at least 10 days to 2 weeks before the patient will feel the effects of the medication, and sometimes for 3 to 4 (even up to 8) weeks before they reach full effectiveness.

Another issue with this type of depression treatment is that patients often STOP taking them too soon. They begin to feel better, think they're over the depression, and stop taking the medication. It is recommended to continue taking the medication anywhere from 4 to 9 months AFTER the patient feels better, in order to prevent the depression from returning.

A significant problem with drug-based depression treatment is that these medications often cause side effects (often called "adverse effects") in people taking them. Often these side effects are noticed by the patients before the medication has had full chance to relieve the depression. While most side effects are mild, some can be more serious. Some common side effects mentioned are:

• Dry mouth
• Constipation
• Bladder problems, trouble urinating
• Sexual problems - loss of desire, erectile problems
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness

Considering the terrible pain and suffering that depression can cause, these side effects (which do NOT affect everyone taking them) can still be worth dealing with in order to get rid of the illness. However, there is another option which has been shown to be a very effective depression treatment, and has NO side effects - EFT.

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques. Based on years of research, and refined by Stanford-trained engineer Gary Craig, EFT consists of tapping (with a finger) on various energy points on the body, while thinking about or addression the depression and associated events. Simple, drug-free, and very effective, EFT is proving to be an effective depression treatment that can be used along with any medication that you may be taking.

To learn more about EFT and its many uses, Click here to visit the EFT web site.