Is Depression Curable?
By Whitley Lassen, PsyD
Depression affects everyone differently. Some may feel hopeless, others may stay in bed all day, and others may not find pleasure in things they used to love and no longer feel like themselves.
No matter how it feels, unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for depression. However, a wide range of treatments can help manage symptoms so that people can feel “normal” and return to their daily lives.
In this article, I’ll first clarify the difference between a treatment and a cure. Then I’ll then discuss various treatments for depression, including new discoveries. I’ll also explain why depression may or may not go away and when to seek help.
It may take time and trial and error, but you can find a way to manage your depression — and it’s totally worth it.
Treatment vs Cure for Depression
A cure is something that makes an illness go away forever. On the other hand, a treatment is something that helps improve health but does not eradicate the condition or disorder altogether.
With the right treatments and lifestyle changes, a person living with depression can recover from their symptoms and go on to live a happy life.
Available Treatments for Depression
If you are diagnosed with a type of depression, your medical professional will likely recommend one or more of the following treatments.
Therapy
Psychotherapy, also known as “talk therapy”, offers a safe space for an individual to identify their problems and repeating patterns, and learn healthy coping mechanisms. The following types of therapy are often used to treat depression:
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is considered the “gold standard of psychotherapy”. It works to modify a person’s thought patterns and behaviors, in turn helping change their feelings and emotions. You may learn healthy coping mechanisms, positive self-talk, cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, or guided discovery and questioning.
Interpersonal therapy (IPT): This approach helps you recognize and address challenges in your personal relationships that impact your depressive symptoms. IPT can help you develop skills to manage difficult emotions, improve communication, and participate in social activities.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): This approach combines CBT and mindfulness techniques like meditation and present-moment awareness. It helps build deeper self-awareness so that you can identify what triggers depressive symptoms and manage them, thus reducing the likelihood of them recurring.
Medication
Several medications can effectively reduce depressive symptoms. Most mental health professionals recommend combining medication and therapy because although medication treats depressive symptoms, it doesn’t identify the underlying causes or triggers. Your medical professional may prescribe any of the following:
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prescribed and usually the first approach to treatment
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) may help those who have both depression and a chronic pain condition
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are typically prescribed to individuals who don’t respond to other antidepressants
Atypical antidepressants may offer relief from sexual side effects of other antidepressants
Mood stabilizers or antipsychotics can boost the effects of an antidepressant
Brain stimulation
If depression symptoms persist after trying therapy and medication, a medical professional may recommend brain stimulation.. Brain stimulation comes in the following forms:
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): During ECT, electrical impulses are delivered to the brain to trigger a seizure, which is experienced under anesthesia. This changes electrical activity in your brain and can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental health conditions. Modern ECT is very different from the “shock therapy” administered in the mid-20th century.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): TMS, sometimes referred to as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), delivers magnetic impulses to your brain externally. These impulses are believed to help stimulate nerves in the brain and increase brain activity.
Vagus nerve stimulation: During this treatment, a device implanted in the chest sends regular, mild pulses of electrical energy to your brain stem through the vagus nerve in your neck. Vagus nerve stimulation is believed to help restore the balance of brain chemicals associated with depression.
Other Treatments for Depression
In addition to psychotherapy and medication, a wide variety of other treatments and practices may help ease depressive symptoms.
Acupuncture
A 2019 systematic review of 29 studies found that acupuncture can offer great relief of depression on its own and in combination with antidepressants.
Exercise
According to a 2019 study, getting as little as two and a half hours of physical activity each week may help relieve depression. The study also found that outdoor activity had more benefits than indoor physical activity did. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which releases endorphins, chemicals that can boost mood.
Music therapy
Music therapy or music medicine (listening to music on your own) may help temporarily relieve depressive symptoms. Choose music with upbeat lyrics and melodies to help boost your mood.
Read the full article on K Health.
Originally published October 13, 2022.