If you or someone close to you is struggling with chronic feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and a complete lack of energy or interest in socializing, it might be time to consider “what is the best treatment for depression.”
How Can Depression Be Treated?
If you are struggling with depression, it’s natural to wonder what is the best treatment for depression and what is the best medication for depression.
People find success with a multitude of treatment types. Depression can be based on circumstances, so it is important to look for triggers. Things like talk therapy can help you identify triggers that cause depressive episodes and learn how to cope with them or avoid them.
Exercise and diet can play a significant role in how you feel, so sometimes, part of the best treatment for depression includes a more natural route with regular exercise, meditation, and healthy eating.
Your environment or genetic factors can also cause depression. In these cases, the best treatment for depression might be medication. Even still, the best medication for depression can vary based on your circumstances, and it can behoove you to work with mental health professionals to find the right balance.
What is the Best Treatment For Depression?
The best depression treatment differs from one person to the next. However, the best treatment for depression usually includes a combination of natural methods, therapy, and medication. You can work with professionals at a mental health treatment center to determine the right combination of these treatments. Moreover, you can start with the best medication for depression and then transition into therapy and natural methods as you start to control the symptoms.
Therapy
The best treatment for depression involves therapy. Talk therapy or psychotherapy can help you discuss factors that might be contributing to your depression, figure out any environmental triggers and genetic links, and how to cope with all of them. Cognitive behavioral therapy is another popular treatment; it might be the best depression treatment for you. This type of talk therapy helps you modify negative thoughts, emotional responses, and behaviors, especially toward depressive triggers, and replace them with positive ones.
So, what is the best treatment for depression, and are there natural options?
What is the Best Natural Treatment For Depression?
Many natural methods have been studied, and results indicate that the best treatment for depression includes mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation is a meditation style that helps you become aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions while remaining mindful of the present moment. With mindfulness practices, you can focus your attention on how your body feels, how you are moving, what you think, and how you breathe. This type of meditation reduces depression.
One team of researchers compared 47 meditation studies and found that volunteers who participated in an 8-week meditation course showed up to 20% improvement in depression symptoms.
Another team reviewed 136 trials for depression and found mindfulness-based programs for people without a medical diagnosis of depression produced similar effects, improving symptoms by up to 20%.
If you are asking, “what is the best treatment for depression,” you might also consider a few other natural treatments.
Exercise and Nutrition
Exercise and nutrition are natural ways to treat depression. Exercise releases hormones like endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin, which function like natural antidepressants. The exercise in which you participate doesn’t have to be particularly strenuous to bring about these results. You can do something as simple as walking up and down your street, through your neighborhood, or at a nearby park.
Studies indicate that food can be used to manage depression symptoms too.
- Unstable blood sugar levels can worsen mood swings, so diets full of sugary sodas or fruit juices, highly processed pasta or flour, and candy can make signs of depression worse.
- Caffeine reduces serotonin levels, so too much caffeine can erase the natural antidepressant hormones you need.
- You can boost your serotonin and your brain’s ability to absorb it by consuming foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, healthy fats, and high protein. Some examples include:
- wild salmon
- sardines
- range-free turkey
- and coconut oil
Sunlight
Depression symptoms can worsen when you don’t have adequate vitamin D. This is a risk during cold, dark winters when you don’t get a lot of sunlight. In addition to any other medications, therapy, or natural resources you might be using, investing in a therapeutic lightbox can help you get the appropriate vitamin D levels.
What is the Best Medication For Depression Treatment?
The best medication for depression involves SSRIs or SNRIs. These help by restricting the reuptake of neurochemicals regulating your mood, appetite, and sleep. This restriction means your brain has more of those critical neurochemicals floating around and actively sending messages throughout your brain. This means you have higher levels of things like dopamine, serotonin, and no epinephrine. Increasing the amounts of these neurochemicals helps your brain better regulate appetite, sleep, and mood.
If you are looking for depression treatment near New York, contact Water Gap Wellness Center today. Water Gap Wellness Center can work with you to determine if our mental health facility can give you what you need. During an initial assessment, we can review your treatment options and help determine the most effective plan.
Let Water Gap Wellness Center get you depression treatment today.
