What's the best, non-drug method to fight depression?

Question

i know i probably need some real help, but i can't afford it right now. even if i could, there's no way i'm ever gonna take experimental mental drugs the rest of my life. i'm looking for more natural ways to fight some possible serious depression.

Answer 1

Fish oil I take it helps a lot

Answer 2

working out regularily, dietary changes, cognitive behavioural therapy (has the same sucess rate as anti-depressants, but without the side effect and sometimes the cost), distracting yourself, learning not to focus on the negativity in your life, finding a healthy outlet for your emotions such as an artistic hobby.

If your depression is serious, you need to find a psychologist *not a psychiatrist who will just give you meds* and do a few weeks of cognitive behavioural therapy. This type of therapy, can be done in groups as it's more like a work shop. Contact your local community mental health organisation to learn about what is there for you.

I would not suggest that you take St. John's Wort without first speaking with a doctor as it can have some serious effects on any medication that you may be taking as well as side effects that can be just as annoying as the side effects of SSRI medication. St. John's Wort is just an herbal placebo and will only work on mild depression because it is just a placebo with very real side effects and no real help.

Answer 3

Depression is a big ugly slob that has invaded your life. It's clinging to you like an insidious leech, stalking you, suffocating you, and trying to rob you of your peace of mind. But, you have decided to take charge of this slob and kick it out. That is GOOD! Sit down and write a letter to the miserable slob right now and let it know you are not going to tolerate it any more, that you intend to defeat it and evict it from you. That is step one.

From this point on, you will need to alternate between being stern with yourself and being really kind to yourself. You will get the hang of it and figure out when you need to baby yourself and when you need to give yourself a pep talk to get yourself moving.
Once you get into the swing of it, you will be able to determine what is required at that moment, whether it is to get up and move around to get that slob off your back, or whether you need to retreat to the bathroom for a long soothing soak in the tub and leave the slob out in the hallway so it can't interrupt you while you are relaxing.

I believe you have the power to triumph over this intruder. You can do it. Here are a few tactics to deal with this beast:

Physical exercise - jumping jacks, or marching in place or whatever to jostle it and shake it loose. Armor for the body -good healthy food and fluids so it has trouble maintaining its grip. A strong healthy body is slippery and sleek. Sunshine - sweet healing light that blinds it. Adequate sleep - an escape where it can't follow. Unexpected change in routine - surprise the slob by going somewhere surprising and it won't know how to find you.

Devise your own strategies for outwitting this invader. Throw a little twist into your thinking. Right now, it can read your mind. But, you can throw it off by deviating from your usual thought patterns. Throw it a curve! Confuse it. Trick it. Make it so difficult for the depression to get you that it eventually has to give up because it has lost its momentum and its advantage.

Pretty soon this despicable slob will be a thing of the past. Good luck to you...you will be ok, hon. Just be a fighter. Fight for your own self.

Answer 4

It has been said that Depression is anger turned inward.
Often, depression comes with a feeling of helplessness, or a certain feeling of 'what's the use'.
Open a windows document and start a journal. In it, write all your thoughts, especially things that annoy you. If you're angry at a person, really let that person have it - on paper.
Once you've dumped all your feelings - fears, anger, inner pain, make yourself move. Put on some dance music and really shake it up!
Eat some hot peppers. I find it impossible to be depressed when my nose is running with hot pepper fumes!
Above all, honor all your feelings, especially anger.
Most people think it's 'not nice' to be angry. This 'not nice' carries a high price in depression.
Be 'not nice'! It's OK.

Answer 5

I was on antidepressants for a couple years. They did help me, but they also made me feel like I was kind of floating around in my head. However, I think they were the first step to helping me get back to normal. If you don't have insurance, you can probably still talk to your doctor about some cheaper alternatives.

Whether you are on meds or not, the following things will really help:

1. sleep only as much as you need, not more or less
2. try to get some sunshine every once in a while
3. do things you like to do (or used to like to do), even if it's really simple
4. do something productive - create something, clean something, build something
5. help someone else (answer someone's yahoo question who needs advice, or call a lonely friend, or adopt a stray cat)
6. talk to someone about your feelings

I hope this helps.

Answer 6

laughter is always the best to fight depression, try to hang around people who make you laugh.it will be tuff since when u'r depressed u really don't want to be around people at all but give it a try. something else i do is rent several funny movies. one other thing that i do is realize no matter how hard life is for me that there are millions of other people in worse off shape than myself. AND my favorite thing to do when in the dumps is help other people, I'd take out trash for an elderly couple, go to the grocery for another or people always need something fixed at their house- fix a squeaky door/window- helping other people is helping u'r self at the same time.

Answer 7

There are many forms of depression and many causes, as well. It helps to know what kind you're dealing with so you might want to ask yourself a few questions. Sometimes, depression comes from an event such as a major loss in your life. This is called a reactive depression - you're reacting to that loss. You're grieving, in those cases, and if that's your experience, allow yourself the luxury of working through your grief. I say luxury because society expects us to just get over it - and to move on. Giving ourselves permission to process our grief helps us manage its depression.

It's important to note that loss can be having to let go our dreams and goals, as much as having to let go a relationship or our jobs. The most difficult loss of all is the loss of one's independence, as with an injury, a lengthy illness, a disability or changes in lifestyle.

Depression is seen in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]. It is part of bipolar disorder, as well. It takes time to determine just what's causing the depression which can often be done by your asking yourself questions about it. A great website used by care professionals and others is WebMD. Their newsletters are free and you can do a search for almost any health care question at no charge. They regularly update current research and trends.

St. John's Wort takes about 2 weeks [about the same as meds] and it works on seretonin levels [as do many anti-drepressants]. Chocolate does, too, and it's often used to elevate one's mood. Alcohol, however, is, itself, a depressant - as are many meds. If a user of alcohol, pay attention to how it affects you, afterward.

In some cases, depression is due to food sensitivities/allergies. If there's a particular food you crave it's possible you're sensitive to it. To find out if a food's a culprit for you, do strictly without it for a period of four or five days. See how you feel. Then, reintroduce it in small amounts. See how you feel. If you're sensitive or allergic you'll notice a difference. Milk, beef, sugar, corn, eggs and wheat are often culprits. [They top many lists of the sensitive/allergic.]

Nutrition is a factor. Mega stress depletes the system and can surface as depression [fatigue/exhaustion may be the culprit]. When listing what you routinely eat, check for B vitamins and if your diet is lacking those supplements help. The B vitamins are really important for those with high stress lifestyles.

Exercise and a change of scenery can work wonders. A walk in the park, breathing fresh air, any type of physical activity which helps one breathe deeply [less shallow] helps with depression. Laughter [the wackiest video you can find can do more than pills, sometimes]. If any object to the noise tell 'em it's good therapy!

The most important of all, though, is a shift in perspective. Look for what is good in your life and list those, every day, journaling or just making a list to hang on your fridge. When focusing on your blessings it's almost impossible to focus on your lack of those. Sometimes, we let ourselves dwell on we don't have [and think we want] and don't even notice what we have to be thankful for. Listing what we're grateful for can help us shift our perspective.

Last [but not least], sometimes depression is a gift in disguise. It can force us to do some real soul-searching to determine what we want, what we don't, and how we want our lifetime invested. Only you know if any of these methods apply to you. That you've asked the question indicates you have a capacity to understand, confront and come to terms with your situation. That's a major step in reclaiming your self-esteem, all too often sacrificed if we assume we're to always be strong. Some see depression as a weakness [when it's often a symptom - like a sneeze in a head-cold]. Self-help books [no/low cost] sometimes help. Learning about depression can be exactly what's needed to resolve or manage it.

Answer 8

Think. Think about why you're depressed, how it happened, and then realize that it's not such a big deal after all.

Think about how fortunate you are to have at least a meal a day (I hope).

Think about how fortunate you are to have access to the Internet, a nearly unlimited range of knowledge.

Think about how fortunate you are to be unbound by physical or mental limitations (assuming you don't have any).

Think about how fortunate you are to have a chance at life.

Think about how life isn't so bad, after all.

Answer 9

In my experience, physical activity has been the best antidote to depression. And it's ironic because a depressed person just doesn't usually feel like getting up and doing anything. But the longer you sit there, the worse it gets. It's self-perpetuating. So if you have the drive to force yourself up and moving, then that would be one thing you could do.
Another thing I found helpful is to take more control over my life. There are many things we simply can't control. But...there is an amazing amount of things that we CAN control. For instance, you can probably control your environment to a degree. So, redecorate your space and make it as soothing and pleasant to be in as possible. It doesn't have to cost a lot. A can of paint in a color you personally find peaceful or uplifting or cozy, some pics printed off the computer and put in plain black frames, and some Walmart sheets hung as curtains using curtain clips and maptacks. It's easy and inexpensive. When you are done, you will have a soothing pleasant sanctuary to be in. Then turn your attention to the things you watch and the music you listen to. Don't allow anything into your eyes and ears that aggravates the sadness or stirs painful feelings in you. Take control of that! You can also control how you eat, the vitamins you take, and aim for being physically healthy. It is hard for a body to fight off something like depression if it is not getting the proper nutrients, enough water to be well hydrated, and adequate sleep. If there is a person in your life that brings you down, you may have to avoid that person for awhile until you get stronger. If you intend on being your own doctor at this time, then you will have to take the job seriously and do what is best for your patient (you).
You see where I am going with all that....the more things you can take authority over and take control of, the more empowered you will feel. It won't seem like you are so helpless then.
If it helps, get a little righteous anger at your depression and work on wiping it out, like an enemy.
Another idea to give you more perceived control would be for you to sit down and write out a plan of action. Come up with an activity or countermove for each depression symptom you experience. Only you can decide what those actions will be. An example, however, might be that when you feel like crying, you will counter that with 15 minutes of marching in place. Or when you feel like things are hopeless, you will put on some peaceful benign music and clean the bathroom. Or when negative thoughts pop up, decide that you will say out loud to yourself "stop it!". Just come up with a plan that makes sense to you. Everyone feels better when they have a plan.
I personally feel that depression is more of a symptom than a disorder. I really believe it is a symptom of a bodily system that is out of whack. Medication probably would put a different spin on things for you and it might be quicker than trying to handle it yourself. My psych professor was opposed to medication in most cases because he felt that it was like "pounding a thumbtack into a wall with a sledgehammer". In other words, medication does have an effect, but sometimes it over-reaches its intended target. So, I do not blame you a bit for trying to master this without drugs. But I do not fault anyone for taking meds to help them. It is a personal choice.
Another thing that might assist you in this is if you can find a hobby, activity, or subject that interests you enough that you can lose yourself for awhile in doing it. Whether it is reading, creative writing, doing crafts, or doing art. Just something that is so interesting to you that it can distract you from your battle with the depression monster for a little while. Involvement in things outside yourself that demand your attention can help. Classes in self-defense or art, book discussion groups at the local library, performances at the local coffee shop, etc. Go out of your house. A change in scenery can sometimes stop a cycle because it breaks up the routine. Depression is like any other activity in one very important way: the more you practice it, the better you get at it. The synaptic pathways get laid down and your mind just rolls along them like a train on a track. So anything you can do to derail that and throw off that cycle. For some reason, a change of scene can accomplish that pretty well.
If a past memory is driving you crazy with remorse or shame, sit down and rewrite it to have the ending you desire. Whenever the memory starts yapping at you, read what you wrote and decide that is the ending you are going to think about. I know some people will call this denial. But denial can be a very useful tool sometimes. It is not necessarily a bad thing. If you want to decide your own responses to things, you can do so. You do have a measure of choice about how you are going to respond to things.
That is the end of my suggestions to you. I hope some of them will be helpful to you. Best wishes to you, dear.
Best wishes!

Answer 10

there are few ways to naturally fight depression. One is finding a friend you can talk to, and tel he/she what the problem is. Next is change you behavior and do some fun things to get your mind away from it. The other is change your thoughts from negative things and find positive thoughts. you are worthy and you can do this.

Answer 11

Exercise...and St. John's Wort is good, I hear--more natural than drugs.