Research shows that 8.3% of all adults in the U.S. have had at least one major depressive episode during their lifetime. Further research suggests that nearly 10% to 30% of adults in the U.S. with major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression.
What types of treatments can be helpful to treat depression?
There are several treatments that can be used for the symptoms of depression. If you’re struggling to manage your depression symptoms, here are some treatment options to consider:
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy — Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy is most commonly used to treat people who have treatment-resistant depression. Treatment resistance means their symptoms have not responded to traditional treatment methods, which include antidepressants and talk therapy. During TMS therapy, magnetic pulses are sent to specific areas of the brain to stimulate activity and reduce depressive symptoms.
- Talk therapy — Talk therapy, also referred to as psychotherapy, is a type of treatment for people with depression and other types of mental health disorders. Talk therapy involves a patient sitting down with a licensed mental health professional who guides the patient through evidence-based techniques, like cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Antidepressants — People with depression are often prescribed antidepressants, which serve to increase neurotransmitters in the brain, like serotonin and noradrenaline. Medication doesn’t work for everybody, however; some people prefer other treatment methods because the antidepressants may not help as much as they’d like or because of side effects.
- Active changes to your lifestyle — Experts agree that increasing your physical activity levels can help depression. Adding more nutritional foods to your diet can also have a positive effect on your symptoms.
How can talk therapy help treat someone with depression?
Talk therapy can help many kinds of mental health conditions. Different evidence-based psychotherapy strategies can prove effective for different people. Just a few of the benefits of talk therapy include:
- Developing healthy coping mechanisms — Talk therapy can be useful for those with depression. It teaches them how to develop healthier coping mechanisms. Many people don’t have healthy coping mechanisms to help them through their symptoms. Therapy can teach patients how they can manage their symptoms in ways that aren’t detrimental to their health. Examples of healthy coping mechanisms include drawing and listening to music. Some unhealthy mechanisms are drinking and taking drugs.
- Identifying symptoms and their triggers — Most patients have triggers or symptoms that may be prevalent in their lives. Talk therapy can identify and reprocess these triggers so that they’re less impactful.
How can TMS therapy help treat someone with depression?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy is a noninvasive, effective option for those with treatment-resistant depression. Here’s how TMS helps:
- Activates low-activity regions in the brain — A key benefit of TMS therapy is that it targets low-activity regions of the brain that regulate mood.
- Alleviates treatment-resistant depression symptoms — When these low-activity regions of the brain have been stimulated through TMS, patients can start to see their symptoms reduced. Research suggests that TMS can provide relief for those with treatment-resistant depression. In fact, 79% of patients with treatment-resistant depression experienced a reduction in depression symptoms.
Allow Active Path Mental Health to treat your depression with TMS and talk therapy
Major depressive disorder can make you feel as if your life has become hard to enjoy. This can become even more overwhelming when you pair it with treatment resistance. Fortunately, you can improve your quality of life, personal relationships, and everyday functioning with help from our team of experts. Our Active Path Mental Health team can help better manage your depression symptoms with methods like TMS therapy and talk therapy. With us, you’ll get the treatment you need to start looking forward to a better future.
Active Path Mental Health is proud to say that patients can receive treatment from locations in both Oregon and Washington. The team members at each one of our locations are dedicated to helping patients recover from their mental health disorders. But don’t just take it from us, take it from our patient reviews.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
