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Alternative Treatments For Depression

By: Reyna Flor Nadera Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Depression is a problem that affects over 5% of adults each year. While traditional pharmaceutical treatment is available for, many people can treat their depression with alternative treatments. This article discusses several alternative treatments for depression.

Depression is defined as a persistent mental disorder presenting with depressed mood, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of guilt, sleep and appetite disturbance, and inability to care for oneself. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that women have a lifetime risk of becoming depressed of over 20% while men have a lifetime risk of around 7%. Traditional treatment often involves psychotherapy and prescription medications such as tricyclic antidepressants, Serotonin Specific Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) or Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOs). While these medications are generally effective, they often take several months or longer to work, have unpleasant side effects and are only recommended for moderate to severe depression. Alternative treatments for depression can be helpful for milder depressive episodes and can work alongside traditional treatment for more severe cases.

Numerous studies have shown that 20 to 30 minutes of exercise several times per week can have a lifting effect on the mood, even in cases of depression. While it may be hard to get going, once a person with depression motivates themselves to begin a regimen of exercise, his or her mood will likely improve. The chosen regimen should be as simple as possible to decrease the chance of failure. This can be something as simple as a vigorous walk or performing a routine along with a DVD or television program or even something as silly as dancing to a favorite CD. Increasing the heart rate has been shown to release endorphins which are "feel good" chemicals in the body.

Light therapy has also been used to treat depression. Particularly useful in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), light therapy focuses on exposure to full spectrum light, especially natural sunlight for several hours each day. There is a suspected link between Vitamin D deficiency and depression. Natural sunlight exposure will increase the amount of Vitamin D produced in the body. Regular exposure to natural light does not require "sunbathing" just opening the curtains or spending time outdoors and should be obtained year-round.

Dietary supplementation has also been used to boost the Serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is one of the major neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation and is also important in quality sleep. St. Johns Wort has been used as an herbal supplement and is thought to act similarly to some antidepressants. Another dietary supplement called 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin and is believed by many to work quite quickly in relieving symptoms of depression. Some natural health experts have even recommended adding foods high in the amino acid L-Tryptophan such as turkey or baked potatoes to the evening meal to boost Serotonin levels.

While depression will continue to plague many, it is clear there are alternative treatments available. Three of the best options appear to be exercise, light therapy and dietary supplementation.

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