Another great and thought-provoking post @abigail-dantes.
The thing that stood out to me most (and improved my understanding of depression) is when to use pharmaceutical intervention. Honestly, I believe it should always be the last step but I do understand the necessity for it in sever depression.
I think we are on the same page and would venture that the use of drugs would be greatly diminished if a person would undertaking some positive activities in tandem: exercise (that you mentioned), improving one's diet, meditation, relaxation in nature and reconnecting with old hobbies. I think once that is done then drugs can be introduced. The thing that I'm unsure of is that perhpas in severe depression drugs might be necessary as a "kick starter" to lead one to find the motivation to undertake those activities. But if drugs are the only method then I think it will ultimately fail.
I am the first to advocate exercise as the best counter to depression but the fact is that getting someone with MDD (major depressive disorder) to do anything is near impossible. I speak unfortunately from very painful experience with one of my kids. Anti depressant medication was not my first, second or third choice but it became my only after a time. It's not a cure by any stretch of the imagination and also every person reacts differently to different SSRI's. For example Zoloft was not working, but Prozac seems to be a better fit. Also dosage matters tremendously and it is a trial and error approach until you get the correct daily amount. It is just a kickstart for sure.
Incredibly valid point!
This makes sense and thank you for sharing your experience @rungirl
Hello @cizzo :)
How great to see you here! Please note, that even when clients present symptoms that place them in the severe depression category they don't necessarily need to undergo medication. It all depends on the set of symptoms exhibited, as long as they are not those that endanger the individual, some people can have even severe depression reversed without medical intervention.
But please, let me just say this: your insight is simply wonderful! It actually made me smile :)
YES! In some cases the medication do act as a 'kick starter' that even helps the client to engage more efficiently with their therapist!
Moreover, as you said, there are cases in which people just do not respond to any kind of drug (tricyclics, SSRIs or MAOIs). They are known to suffer from intractable depression. In such cases electroconvulsive therapy is considered to alleviate symptoms; but it's mostly adopted in suicidal patients.
Thanks for stopping by!
Best.
It's good to know that this is the case! I wasn't positive if that was an approved approach but it made sense to me, thank you for validating this 'kick starter' idea.
Very cool to see that each case needs different approaches, after all every person is different.
And I'm glad the comment made you smile :)