Before you embark on treating your depression, it is crucial that you get a full medical evaluation. In order to discover the best treatment for your depression, you will need to find out if there are any causes of your depression such as medical issues (such as a stroke), medication side effects, or substance use (alcohol or other drugs). This will help you find out the next step for your depression treatment.


Make sure you communicate your depressive symptoms (such as insomnia, lack of appetite, depressed mood, etc.) in detail to your medical doctor.
Ask your doctor if your depression could be due to a medical issue. Your doctor may run some laboratory tests to find out. If your doctor thinks your depression might be caused or increased by a medical issue, you may first need to get this treated before attempting to target your depression. Once your medical issue is treated you may find that your depression decreases. If not, you can search for non-medical treatment options such as therapy.
Ask your doctor if any medications you are taking could be causing or increasing your depression. If the answer is yes, you can ask your doctor if there are any alternatives to the medication you are currently taking that do not influence depressive symptoms.
If you have an issue with substance abuse, such as an addiction to drugs or alcohol, your depression can be negatively affected. Talk to your medical doctor about treatment programs such as rehabilitation or therapy.;
, Understanding therapy may help you decide whether it will be a good treatment option for you. Talk-therapy, or psychotherapy, is typically conducted for one hour once per week (but can typically be adjusted if needed). There are different types of therapists, some have a Master’s degree (MA, MFT, MSW, LCSW), while others have a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD). When selecting a therapist or psychologist, you will want to keep in mind what type of therapy the person uses (such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is explained in method two), what ages they work with (some only work with children, while others may work with any age), and what disorders they specialize in treating (you may want to find someone who treats depressive disorders regularly).


If you are in the United States, you can easily search for psychologists in your area at the American Psychological Association (APA) website.Another option is to contact your health insurance directly to inquire about these services.
Think about what you can afford and what benefits your insurance covers. Some insurance policies have a co-pay (where you pay the therapist a small fee directly and the insurance covers the rest), while others may require that you pay for a higher portion of the fee. It is important to speak to a representative form your medical insurance company about options for therapy.
If you do not have medical insurance, you might want to look into social services that assist individuals with no health care coverage. Or, you can conduct a local search for low-cost, sliding scale, or free mental health services.
 Some individuals may opt for medication, such as antidepressants, as the first line of treatment for their depression. Antidepressants can help reduce the likelihood of a depression relapse.However, it is important to know that depression is typically best treated by a combination of medication and therapeutic treatment.For medication, may individuals receive antidepressants and other medications from their primary medical doctor or general practitioner. While this is common, understand that these individuals don’t necessarily have the length of training that a psychiatrist will have in treating depression.Psychiatrists are medical doctors that specialize in prescribing medications for mental health issues.
You can search for psychiatrists (in USA and Canada) at Psychologytoday.com. Or contact your health insurance provider.
 Self-help is a way you can treat your own depression with or without utilizing the other options such as therapy or medication. This option can be especially helpful for individuals who have low-level depression.


Self-help may include activities such as: journaling, creating art, using relaxation skills, and educating yourself about depression. Ask your doctor for recommendations for structured, factual, and easy to understand self-help books or leaflets you can use to educate yourself.Try something like "Overcoming Depression" or "The Feeling Good Handbook," which have been "prescribed" by physicians for people with low-level depression.Some herbal medicine and vitamins, such as St. John’s Wort, have been linked to decreases in depression.These remedies might be good options for you if you do not wish to take prescription drugs, enduring certain negative side effects (such as increases in suicidal thinking), or want a more cost-effective option.However, St. John's Wort is not to be used in addition to other antidepressants or SSRI's, as it can produce dangerous side effects, such as serotonin syndrome.You need to discuss your options with your medical doctor or your psychiatrist to address any negative interactions with your other prescribed medications and unwanted side effects.Supplements such as 5-HTP may have a strong following, but may have little empirical support for reducing depression and can have other side effects.Be careful and always discuss these remedies with your primary medical doctor or psychiatrist.
Meet with your medical doctor.
Explore therapy.
Consider medication.
Identify self-help resources.
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