Anti-depressant medications help relieve depression symptoms; for this reason, many doctors prescribe them to anyone who is suffering from depression. However, this is not always the best course of treatment. If someone is depressed because of problems in his or her life, the medications can numb the pain rather than resolving the problem so that the person becomes inappropriately dependent on anti-depressant medications and does not address the problems in his or her life. Read on to determine whether you should take anti-depressant medications or engage in some other form of treatment.
Anti-Depressant Medications of Depression
In many cases, depression is situational–a person becomes depressed because of things in his or her life that the person feels are out of his or her control. For example, if someone feels trapped in a job or relationship, doesn’t have a relationship with family, or hates some aspect of themselves, he or she can become depressed. For these people, curing depression is often a matter of facing and resolving problems so that they feel in control of their lives again.
If someone is facing this type of depression, taking medication will relieve the symptoms but not address underlying issues. The person may still feel sad or angry after taking the medication; even though he or she is no longer depressed, he or she will feel negative emotions until the problems are resolved.
In some cases, depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. This sometimes happens when a person goes through an extended period of situational depression; the brain adapts to feeling depressed and may stop producing certain chemicals required to maintain mental health.
Anti-Depressant medications can help the person feel better
In other cases, a person has a biological problem that causes depression without any corresponding psychological cause. In these cases, anti-depressant medications can help the person feel better so that they can function in their lives.
Regardless of the type of medication used to treat depression, depressed people usually need psychological treatment as well. Even if a person’s depression is entirely chemically based, he or she usually has developed unhealthy behaviors in response to feeling depressed, and therapy or coaching can help to correct these problems. Medication by itself is rarely effective.
There are many different types of therapy that depressed people may benefit from. Talk therapy in general is helpful because it allows the person to experience feeling fully visible and to express their depression and underlying emotions. Some types of therapy teach depressed people new ways of thinking or behaving that can help relieve depression. Similarly, life coaching can help depressed people to examine the role they play in their depression and to take different actions to relieve depression.
Regardless of the cause of your depression, you probably want to invest in some type of therapy or coaching to help you make changes in your life. In some cases, anti-depressant medications can help reduce the symptoms of depression, while in other cases medication will not help you very much. With time, treatment and effort, you can experience permanent relief from depression and live the life you want to live.