How can psychiatric treatment help depression?
When a person’s depression is moderate to severe, they may face difficulties managing their everyday life. A psychiatrist can prescribe medications that can help alleviate their symptoms temporarily and make daily life manageable, while the person engages in therapy and gradually learns to overcome their depression. A psychiatrist can also do procedures such as Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (RTMS), which could be useful treatment alternatives for someone with depression when medications are not effective or when the patient requires urgent treatment help, such as when their life is at risk.
Is psychiatric treatment required for depression?
For people with moderate to severe depression, their depression significantly interferes with their daily life functionality which is when psychiatric medications become beneficial as a mode of treatment. It can help relieve symptoms and can especially be required when a person is prone to suicidal ideations and is at risk of self-harm.
However, for people on whom medications are ineffective, other treatment options such as Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) can be effective alternatives – especially to be considered when the person needs immediate help.
What other professionals can help with depression other than psychiatrists?
Psychotherapy, in addition to psychiatric medications, is an essential step to treating depression no matter what the severity of it is. Psychotherapy can help the person with depression get to the root of their thinking, feeling, and behaving patterns related to their depression and help them slowly unravel and replace them with healthier ones. It can also help them with strategies to cope with their symptoms, thereby relieving them, and also develop positive interactions with others.
How long is psychiatric treatment required for depression?
As long as it takes the person to recover from their depression, psychiatric medications could be useful. However, taking medications is not enough – it has to be accompanied by psychotherapy which can help the person deal with the negative beliefs and situations that contribute to their depression. Psychiatric medications should only be stopped when the psychiatrist advises so.
