It takes great strength to come forward about your depression and seek help. So, imagine the feeling of despair when the help you so desperately need isn’t working.
Ultimately, the thought of not finding relief from depression can exacerbate your symptoms making you feel worse. Though most people diagnosed with depression can be treated with common solutions like antidepressants and therapy, for others, the journey to healing may be more extensive.
Treatment-Resistant Depression
There are some patients who suffer from depression that, despite their efforts to obtain treatment, don’t find any relief. Ideally, you may have treatment-resistant depression if you’ve tried two different types of antidepressants with no relief to your symptoms and/or have been attending therapy regularly for several months with no improvement. The good news, however, is that while it may seem hopeless, there are other ways to help you find depression relief.
Solutions for Treatment-Resistant Depression
If your doctor or therapist has determined that your depression is resistant to the current treatment, they will consider certain factors and ask questions so they can make a more informed recommendation for treatment. Whether the right thing is to increase your antidepressant dosage, change your eating habits, try a new therapist, or seek depression help in LA, these factors listed below play a huge role in what your doctor may recommend.
Your Life
If your mental illness isn’t getting better it could be because you haven’t created a lifestyle that will help to ease the mental strain. A therapist may ask questions about your lifestyle to see if there are things that could be triggering your depression. If you work in a hostile environment, have a lot of drama at home, struggle with your finances, etc. They will try to work with you to find ways to reduce the emotional strain in these areas of your life to improve your mood and reduce or eliminate symptoms of depression.
Medications
Your doctor will likely review the list of medications and supplements you’re presently taking to see what the side effects are. Believe it or not, there are some medications that can heighten your depression symptoms. They will also ask questions about your current antidepressants. They’ll want to know how you feel when you take them, if you take them as prescribed, and if there was any relief. Based on the answers to these questions they may recommend a different prescription.
Your Therapist
Much like medications can be trial and error, so can finding the right therapist to help you treat your depression. If you’ve been seeing a therapist for more than 2-6 months with no real resolve, it may be that you’re not connecting deep enough to open up and get to the core of your depression. Your doctor may recommend that you go see a different therapist that uses methods you feel comfortable with.
Bad Habits
Though it is very common for people suffering from depression to turn to bad habits like drinking alcohol, using drugs, and overeating, in an effort to find temporary relief, the truth is, they only make matters worse. Your doctor will ask if you indulge in any of these bad habits and make a determination as to whether you may have a co-occurring disease (depression and addiction). If so, it may be necessary for you to go to a rehab facility to learn how to overcome abuse and addiction simultaneously.
Physical Health
Another factor that could be contributing to the ineffectiveness of your depression treatment is your physical health. There are certain conditions that can make getting past depression a lot more difficult. This would be the case if you suffer from thyroid problems, heart issues, or a condition that causes chronic pain. If you do have any of these physical health problems your doctor will work on a progressive plan to try and treat this condition which, in turn, should make your depression treatment more effective.
Depression is life-altering. So, it’s only natural to feel like all hope is lost when the very things that are supposed to help you are having little to no impact. Don’t be discouraged, however, as there are a number of factors that could be contributing to the ineffectiveness of your depression treatment. Simply talk with your doctor and be open and honest so you can find a combination of solutions that work best for you.
