When it comes to mental illness, there's little more devastating to your life than major depressive disorder. 1 in 5 Americans have suffered depression at some point in their life, but they've found ways to cure it. Here are some very powerful treatments for major depressive disorder:
Psychotherapy
This involves meeting with a licensed medical expert to find out the underlying reason for your depression whether it's caused by surrounding influences, heredity or a chemical imbalance. With a doctor's help you may be able to help identify ideas and situations which help contribute to feelings of depression.
Anti-depressants
Drugs such as popular brand names like Zoloft and Prozac. These drugs attempt to help depression sufferers by trying to normalize chemical imbalances in individuals. Antidepressants are fairly efficient at helping to alleviate mood disorders, however most users report dependence and eventual addiction to the powerful stimulants.
Electroconvulsive therapy
Also known as "electroshock therapy" in the 60's, this form of therapy involves being put under heavy anesthetics while an electrical current is sent through a patient's brain, using several electrodes connected through the temple. This electrical current causes a seizure in patients, which generally lasts from anywhere between 30 seconds to one minute.
The result is a number of changes in brain waves, and possibly alleviation of depression. As the patient awakens, short term side effects are: temporary confusion, nausea, headaches and muscle stiffness.
This type of therapy is still under scrutiny as the long-term side effects on the brain are still unclear but it is said to induce memory loss in certain patients.
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