Depression

Treatment

Treatment for depression is unique to each individual; a health care team sets and monitors goals for each patient to ensure the best care possible.

Medications are safe and effective, even for severe depression. Most patients with major depressive disorders improve significantly when taking carefully chosen medications. Several types of antidepressants are used to treat depression. It is not known precisely how these antidepressants work.

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) increase the availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.
• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) increase neurotransmitter serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain.
• Heterocyclics act like tricyclic antidepressants in the brain, but were developed to offer fewer side effects.
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) prevent the breakdown of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain, increasing their availability as nerve receptor sites. These medications are not often used because of their potential side effects.

Other antidepressants are available that do not fit into the above categories. Mayo Clinic has developed a genetic blood test that determines if a patient's genes will interact negatively with specific antidepressant drugs. It helps Mayo clinicians prescribe the most effective depression treatment possible for their patients.

Psychotherapy is available in several forms, including individual, group and family therapy. Therapists talk with patients to help identify unhealthy thought and behavioral patterns to address and modify.

Light therapy involves increased exposure to natural or artificial light. This treatment is normally used for patients who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment for severe and prolonged depression. In ECT, a patient is anesthetized and an electrical current is passed through the patient's brain to cause a seizure. ECT is given as a series of treatments, usually six to 10, and can be remarkably effective in treating depression that does not respond to medications.