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On
the face of it, this question of trying to cure depression without
drugs seems to be futile, especially these days when most people have
gotten used to the idea of being treated with prescriptions drugs.
But many people are successfully turning away from prescription drugs
and finding alternative methods of treatment – without drugs.
Those suffering from depression, too, are taking recourse to drugless
therapies, which generally do not cause any side-effects and are
typically much more economical.
Low
light blues
Depending
upon the cause of your depression, you will need to choose an
appropriate type of therapy. If your depressive disorder manifests
itself in winter, when days are short and daylight is sparse, you may
effectively make use of phototherapy. Bright light therapy, or blue
light therapy, given with the help of a light box, is believed to
reduce or remove the cause of this type of depression.
Psychotherapy
will be helpful in cases in which psychological factors like skewed
thought patterns are identified to have caused depression. In such
cases, psychotherapy or counseling will work better if there is good
understanding and a solid rapport between the counselor and the
patient. Depending on the severity of the disorder, long and frequent
counseling sessions may be necessary due to the patient’s distorted
thought patterns. Thought patterns, personal relationships, and low
self-esteem must be corrected. Self-loathing has to be converted
onto self-love and stress has to be lowered or eliminated and so on.
By and large, the most important thing is the approach the counselor
brings to the table as well as the counselor-patient relationship.
Exercise
Physical
exercise is also considered to be very good as a cure for depression,
particularly when it is combined with psychotherapy. It is an
effective method to get rid of excessive stress, which may cause
depression. Although it may be rather difficult to make severely
depressed people physically active, persistent efforts aimed at
motivating them to get involved in regular physical activities are
likely to be successful. In practice, group physical activities are
known to alleviate depression by cutting at its root causes like
traumatic breakdown in personal relationships and stress-related
factors.
Food
and Diet
In
certain cases of depression, dietary supplements like those which are
rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (particularly those found naturally in
oily fish) work as a cure. Products containing chocolate and Vitamin
B-12 are proven to work as antidepressants. Some herbal substances
are also found to be effective. When depression occurs due to misuse
of alcohol and other intoxicants, caffeine, sleep-inducing drugs and
sedatives, the obvious cure lies in teaching the patient not to use
these depression triggers.
Meditation
and prayer
Meditation
and deep breathing exercises are being increasingly used as a means
of treating depression without drugs. These have produced results
proven to be very effective especially when practiced regularly over
a considerable period of time. The calming effect of meditation on
the mind has a positive impact for depression sufferers. Prayer and
spirituality may also be useful in this regard.
Rehabilitation
of depressed people is a family and social responsibility. Often
times a depressed person is just looking for the attention of loved
ones. Attempts to treat depression by drugs alone will not be
successful. For this reason, the stigma that is associated with
mental illnesses like depression has to be discarded. Loved ones
must not discriminate against depressed people because this can make
the problem worse. Love an support is the best way to start looking
for a cure for depression.
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