The
Treatment |
How
Well Does It Work |
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- Very successful for many !!
I have known people lucky enough to have an antidepressant work quick,
easy, first time, and long term with no other help or side affects.
- Not successful for everyone
- Lots to choose from
- Research is ongoing to produce new and better drugs
with less side affects
- See links below or see my bookstore sections:
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Psychotherapy / Counseling
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- Can really get you through
- Probably best used with antidepressants
- For some people, can work as well as antidepressants
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- Results similar to psychotherapy.
- Probably most effective in mild to moderate types of
depression
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- If a blood test shows you have low thyroid, estrogens,
DHEA or other hormones, replacing them can really help.
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Nutritional
Supplementation
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- The downside is that doctor appointments, supplements,
and blood tests are expensive & usually not
covered by insurance.
- Can be used to improve the performance of antidepressants
but ask your doctor first!!
- There are some dangerous combinations of antidepressants
and amino acids, herbs, or even foods.
- Trouble is, your regular medical doctor may discourage
you with incorrect & uneducated advice.
- Why ? Because most doctors have no interest,
education, training, or experience with clinical & therapeutic
uses of nutritional supplements.
- They will give you the infuriating, "exercise & eat
right" cliche' !
- And not only will they "not help you",
they will often display a "fear of the unknown" and
be against you.
- Thus, you may be on your own.
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- You may be able to find a nutritionally oriented
doctor in your area through ACAM.org but
there is still no guarantee of their knowledge or experience
using supplements.
- Regardless of the difficulty, it is best to find
a doctor - hopefully one you can work with.
- You may also want to read & learn what to take
for yourself from the many
books written for using nutritional supplements
to treat depression, many written by doctors.
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- Read & Educate
Yourself about vitamins
- Be careful & responsible.
- Why ? Although supplements are far safer compared
to drugs
- Supplements are powerful
- Supplements are unnaturally natural.
- Many are man-made versions of chemicals found
inside us.
- They are therapeutic tools and could possibly
cause harm if carelessly used.
- You should know why you are taking each nutrient.
- If you don't know why you are taking a nutrient,
you will probably stop taking it thus lose the
benefits.
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- But... aren't you taking vitamins anyway ?
- Get some books and learn what to take.
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Now ! - Having said all that...
This - Vitamins,
Minerals, & Amino Acids are exactly what
I have been using to save my life every day since
1990.
It's the only thing that makes sense
for me.
And there have been some really great
books written in the past few years, written by doctors,
which will make it easier for you now than it was for
me back then.
Please be sure to visit my Suicidal
Brain Repair Shop !!
DepressionLife.com is
the site of my new "Self-Help Treatment Manual" where
I will share with you what I take and how you can start
right away.
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Herbal |
- For mild to moderate depressions, doctors are recommending St.
John's Wort
- I have also heard that Ginkgo and Kava
Kava may have potential.
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ECT
(Shock Treatments)
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- I am personally completely against shock treatments.
- I know there are people it has helped.
- But it has also HURT a lot of people.
- Time & technology has improved its application,
but the risk for memory loss to me is much too
great.
- A reputable TV show, did a program
- It showed a woman who lost 10 years of her memory
from having ECT.
- And it didn't even help her.
- She was devastated. She could not remember her
own children !!
- The same program showed another girl who had ECT and
was depressed again very soon.
- To me the success rate is not good enough to take the
risk of losing the memory of my life & family.
Electroconvulsive Therapy - E.C.T.
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- I am sure there are some things in these areas which
may ease the way a bit, but I would not rely on them
exclusively !
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- Religions can have great support structures to help
you through.
- Ask for help from fellow church members and/or your
pastor / priest / clergyman.
- There are many Christian-based Depression & Suicide
Hotlines on the internet.
- It's my experience that most Christianity-based religions
hold the belief that suicide is the one unforgivable
act because you can't ask for forgiveness afterwards.
- I was in a religion for 8 longsuffering years. My belief
structure was so strong that it kept me from killing
myself many times over for which I am now very grateful.
- Remember - It's great to pray, but get chemical help
anyway !!
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