Is it possible to successfully treat diagnosed depression without medications?

Question

Wondering why my doctor has prescribed medications before attempting to address my symptoms via therapy. Medications can make you feel "better" quicker but why not address the problem head on instead of chemically altering your brain chemistry? Am i the only one who feels that putting chemicals in your body should be the last resort, or is my therapist right in saying that taking medication for depression is the same as taking insulin for diabetes?

Answer 1

Therapy with a counselor can help bring out the problem rather than just suppressing it with drugs. Diagnosed depression is kind of a hard topic, because while there really isn't a whole lot of proof to support that depression is due to a chemical imbalance and not the chemical imbalance is due to depression. I recommend the book "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff". Again I believe therapy would be the best non-med option for someone who has been diagnosed.

Answer 2

Doctors do indeed prescribe medication too quickly, but in general, medication is the best method to treat clinical depression. It's success rate is much higher than other methods of treatment. Therapy can be very helpful, but rarely relieves the symptoms of depression quicker than it would naturally run it's course. St. John's Wort works for some people, but I've heard people complain that it caused the same negative feelings that I got the first time I tried antidepressants.
The best way to treat depression without medication that I know of is to just push yourself out there. Get some excercise every day, make a point of not shutting yourself out, and be as productive as you can. It doesn't work for everyone but it works wonders for a lot of people.
If none of that works though, don't be hesitant to admit that. Antidepressants aren't the best feeling in the world, they won't make you happy and in some cases they may take away some of the happiness that you'd feel otherwise. HOWEVER, they do their job, they get rid of those lows which can make life unbearable.

At this point there are multiple antidepressants that all work a little differently, and since we don't fully understand the mind yet, it's a bit of trial and error to see what will work best for you. Keep that in mind as the first drug you try might not be right for you. So work with your doctor and possibly a therapist and hang in there.

Answer 3

You do have psychotic symptoms. You cannot live a happy and productive life without the right safe medications. Schizophrenia is one of the easiest of mental diseases to treat successfully. Schizophrenia is a disease just like Diabetes or Heart Disease and is caused by disruptions in brain chemicals called Serotonin and Neurotransmitters. The only way to remain symptom free is with an anti-psychotic medication. The only way that you will know that you are taking medications is freedom from the symptoms. Yours has an especially unsafe component to it as there is Paranoia involved. It has nothing to do with faith. If you knew that taking Heart medication would allow you to live safely you would take your medications. If you had Diabetes you would have to take your prescribed medications to remain alive. This is a psychiatric issue.

Answer 4

My doctor is treating a lot of my problems with hormones and diet. I had anxiety, mood swings, irritability, heart palpitations, and started to basically feel like crap. It turns out, I had no hormones in my body!
Anxiety and depression were the symptoms of a problem, not the problem itself. Now I can't eat sugar, and when I had a piece of cake after a month of sugar-free, I went into a panic state, and today feel depressed and pissy.

Now I have to pull myself up because I got into a victim mentality and was feeling sorry for myself. Having faith and a positive attitude takes work.

Answer 5

There are obviously different ideas about this, and here is mine:
Try supplements of B-Vitamins and Fish or Flax Oil.

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc_resources/sidebar/index.cfm?WWWROOT=/mskcc/&MainSrc=http%3A//www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/67.cfm&SidebarType=Contents

http://www.turtlezen.com/omega3fattyacids.html

It may be worth a try for you. I have found it helps me. If you take more than 3 grams a day, be careful and go up slowly. It can make
your blood thin and increase the amount you bleed at large amounts, over 10 grams a day. When I took 10 grams a day, I did get a few nosebleeds, so I lowered my dose.

I do not know many people who have been helped by talk type therapy unless it is for a specific problem, like grief counselling.

Answer 6

Doctors do great things but the exposion of drugs makes it easy for us to just take a pill. I suffer from depression and have taken medicine short term. I hated the way it made me feel. Now I deal with the up s and downs. Medicine can really help and does many people.

But you can look at diet, look at your triggers, get therapy, look at sunshine - gettign active and staying active helps.

Forcing yourself to go out with friends is good. Sometimes though you jsut have to work through it one day at a time.

Answer 7

You can help depression without meds. Do things for yourself, journal, therepy and other things.

Check out this site, it has some good info:

http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/Treating_Depression/dep_help.htm

Answer 8

depression is much easier to treat with medication

Answer 9

I would try natural remedies, maybe you aren't getting enough exercise

Answer 10

not for me it wasn't possible and yes your therapist is right