Depression Health Article
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Psychosocial therapy
Psychotherapy explores a person's life to bring forth possible contributing causes of depression. During treatment, the therapist helps the patient to become aware of his or her thinking patterns and how they originated. There are several different subtypes of psychotherapy, but all have the common goal of helping the patient develop healthy problem solving and coping skills.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy assumes that the patient's faulty thinking is causing the current depression and focuses on changing thought patterns and perceptions. The therapist helps the patient identify negative or distorted thought patterns and the emotions and behavior that accompany them, and then retrains the patient to recognize the thinking and react differently to it.
Chinese medicine and herbals
The principle of treatment of depression involves regulating qi, reducing phlegm, calming the mind, and promoting mental resuscitation. The Chinese medicine
There is some evidence that acupuncture is a helpful treatment for depression. One double-blind study found that patients who received acupuncture specific for depression were significantly less depressed than control patients who had either nonspecific acupuncture or no treatment.
St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is the most widely used antidepressant in Germany. Many studies on the effectiveness of St. John's wort have been performed. One review of the studies determined that St. John's wort is superior to placebo and comparable to conventional antidepressants. In early 2000, well designed studies comparing the effectiveness of St. John's wort versus conventional antidepressants in treating depression were underway in the United States. Despite uncertainty concerning its effectiveness, a 2003 report said acceptance of the treatment continues to increase. A poll shoed that about 41% of 15,000 science professionals in 62 countries said they would use St. Johnís wort for mild to moderate depression. Although St. John's wort appears to be a safe alternative to conventional antidepressants, care should be taken, as the herb can interfere with the actions of some pharmaceuticals. The usual dose is 300 mg three times daily.
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Author Info: Belinda Rowland, Teresa G. Odle, The Gale Group Inc., Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, 2005 |
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