Answers
I also think that depression may effect a teen's diet and just general will to take care of themselves. I think it may be interesting if its diet choices like sugary treats or junk food, which can offer a temporary boost to mood, is also linked to development of acne.
I also think that depression may effect a teen's diet and just general will to take care of themselves. I think it may be interesting if its diet choices like sugary treats or junk food, which can...
... (more)Questions
Article Revisions
There are many natural remedies for depression available that can both treat the cause of depression as well as mitigate some depression symptoms.
Some widely known natural remedies for depression include herbs like St. John’s Wort and Kava, dietary changes (restrictions and/or supplements), mind based therapies like psychotherapy, body therapies like yoga, exercise and massage, and spiritually based therapies like meditation and hypnotherapy. Below are some benefits of these natural treatments for depression:
- Herbs, supplements and relaxation techniques can help reduce depression symptoms without dramatic side effects which can be associated with depression medications
- Natural remedies can address the root cause of depression (depending, of course, on the person and their unique cause). Stress or dietary deficiencies are examples of depression causes that can often be treated through natural remedies.
- Natural remedies for depression encourage contact with other types of health professionals such as massage therapists, acupuncturists and herbalists that can expand your methods of approaching depression treatment.
Natural Remedies for Depression There are many natural remedies for depression available that can both treat the cause of depression as well as mitigate some depression symptoms.
Some widely known natural remedies for depression include herbs like St. John’s Wort and Kava, dietary changes (restrictions and/or supplements), mind based therapies like psychotherapy, body therapies like yoga, exercise and massage, and spiritually based therapies like meditation and hypnotherapy. Below are some benefits of these natural treatments for depression:
- Herbs, supplements and relaxation techniques can help reduce depression symptoms without dramatic side effects which can be associated with depression medications
- Natural remedies can address the root cause of depression (depending, of course, on the person and their unique cause). Stress or dietary deficiencies are examples of depression causes that can often be treated through natural remedies.
- Natural remedies for depression encourage contact with other types of health professionals such as massage therapists, acupuncturists and herbalists that can expand your methods of approaching depression treatment.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Accurate diagnosis of any individual's specific depression symptoms will provide clarity for how to approach treatment. An individual who suffers from mental fatigue might approach different treatment(s) (like meditation) than one with excessive mental stimulation (who might take Kava to slow the mind down). Similarly, someone showing signs of insomnia would be treated differently (perhaps with chamomile and a change in diet) than one who oversleeps (who might need exercise to energize them!).
As a first step in the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, a clinical psychologist look for the occurrence of the following signs of depression in an individual:1
A. Exhibiting 5 (or more) out of the following symptoms when they have been present during the same two-week period and represent a change from previous functioning. (At least one of the symptoms must be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure):
- Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day NOTE: In children and adolescents, it can be irritable mood
- Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all activities most the day, nearly every day
- Significant weight loss (when not dieting) or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite NOTE: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains
- Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
- Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
- Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day
- Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly everyday
- Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or specific plan for committing suicide
[Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment may also be assessed by a clinician and indicative of depressive symptoms.]1
B. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
C. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition
D. The symptoms are not better accounted for by Bereavement, i.e., after the loss of a loved one, the symptoms persist for longer than 2 months or are characterized by marked functional impairment, morbid preoccupation with worthlessness, suicidal ideation, psychotic symptoms, or psychomotor retardation.
In Major Depressive Disorder, the depressed mood must be present for most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of at least 2 weeks. Should a person experience a "Single Episode," these symptoms wold only be present for one period of time (around 2 weeks worth). An individual who suffers form "Recurrent," Major Depressive Episodes can experience periods of major depression throughout life.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Depression can have several different underlying causes. It is likely caused by some combination of environmental, genetic, psychological and biochemical factors. In some cases, depression can be triggered by an event such as a death or loss of job while other causes are more systemic such as age or heredity.
Also, there are some Hypothesized Adaptive Evolutionary Theories of Depression that point to some evolutionary theories on why we get depressed.
And finally, some Psychological Perspectives on the Etiology of Depression seek to explain depression from the standpoint of unexpressed and repressed anger.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Psychotherapy is a common method for coping with depression, particularly for mild and moderate cases. This method is often referred to as "talk therapy" because it involves a patient to be in dialogue with a licensed therapist. As a treatment for major depressive disorder, psychotherapy is often recommended in conjunction with medications. Many studies have indicated that this combination can be most effective in coping with depression. There are two categories of psychotherapies that may be prescribed for a depressed patient: Cognitive behavioral therapy and Psychoanalytic therapy.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Music Therapy |
Music Therapy uses verbal and non-verbal expression as a key part of the therapeutic process. Sessions may consist of listening to music, singing or moving your body to music. This type of therapy is used with both adults and children.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of behavioral therapy that includes practices of acceptance and mindfulness along with behavior-change strategies that can help in the treatment of depression. Unlike behavioral therapy which emphasizes controlling thoughts and feelings, ACT teaching strategies to observe, accept and embrace these thoughts and feelings.1 Some have found the therapy hard to categorize as it challenges the current western psychological paradigm, preferring instead to describe it as an "existential humanistic cognitive behavioral therapy." 2
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Psychodynamic Therapy has roots in psychoanalysis as developed by Sigmund Freud in the early 1900s. Similar to psychoanalysis, individuals meet face-to-face with the therapist and treatment is an interactive process between client and therapist. Both work together to address the unconscious motivation behind many of the emotions, behaviors and life-patterns that contribute to the client's depression or other emotional disorder.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Originally created in 1979 at the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center by John Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) programs are now offered at more than 200 medical centers, clinics and hospitals around the world including many leading integrative clinics.1
Find other natural remedies for depression.
One of the most well-known and effective natural remedies for depression is psychotherapy. Psychotherapy has the ability to help cure depression as it both helps people understand the mental causes of their depression, and aids them in creating new thought patterns and emotional habits that can sustain them throughout life. Other therapies however can also be helpful to naturally treat depression.
- Depression and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Depression and Electroconvulsive TherapyDepression and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
- Depression and Psychodynamic Therapy
- Depression and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Depression and Music Therapy
- Depression and Psychotherapy
Check out all other Depression Treatments.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was developed in the 1960s by Aaron T. Beck. CBT aims to change a person’s maladaptive behaviors through identifying and changing distorted thought patterns and negative emotional responses. Treatment is done through conversation and collaboration between the patient and the therapist. CBT has received an incredibly substantial amount of empirical study, validation, and clinical application.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Tai Chi Chuan (or Taijiquan) is a Chinese martial art form often referred to in popular culture simply as "Tai Chi." Tai Chi itself is a concept in Chinese philosophy denoting the "supreme being" or "life-force" or that which creates the yin and yang. During this Chinese martial art form, the individual focuses both on mindful and slow physical movements coupled with an emphasis on breath and mental awareness. Practiced both for the purposes of defense training as well as health and longevity, tai chi chuan is being studied for its effectiveness in the treatment of depression and other conditions.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Yoga can be effective in relieving symptoms associated with clinical depression such as anxiety and stress. Evidence suggests that yoga can have a high success rate in treating depression symptoms. Through the physical postures and the breathing techniques associated with yoga practice, you can create a deep sense of well-being. Yoga can be helpful alone or in compliment to other traditional treatments for depression.
Yoga |
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Aromatherapy involves using the concentrated oils of medicinal herbs to energize or relax the body. These volatile oils (those that evaporate when exposed to the air) can be easily absorbed through inhalation or application on the skin.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Acupuncture, is the most well-known branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and a 4,000 year old medical system. Health, as defined in TCM, is generally described as having balanced energy in the body. Acupuncture is used to restore the body's energy balance and to improve or maintain the health of the patient. There are different types of acupuncture including traditional/classical, auricular, trigger point and single point acupuncture. TCM and classical acupuncture are based in theoretical and philosophical (such as Yin and Yang and the Five Elements) concepts and use these to explain disease and physiological function. Trigger and single point acupuncture are often considered "medical acupuncture" and the points of needle entry are determined more on neurophysiology and anatomy1. Auricular acupuncture maintains that ailments of the entire body can be addressed on points on the outer ear.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
A study by Alladin and Alibhai found that combining hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (termed "cognitive hypnotherapy) produced enhanced outcomes by way of reductions in depression, anxiety and hopelessness for the patients exposed to the treatment1. This improvement was maintained at 6 and 12 months of follow up and therefore warrants further studies to prove the efficacy of this combination of treatments.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Meditation |
The Latin root of meditate is "meditatum" meaning "to ponder." Meditation is therefore the act of focusing one's mind in some internal and specific way. There are hundreds of forms of meditation many of which are directly or loosely associated with a religious practice. Generally speaking, those who practice meditation can calm and relax their mind and physiological state such that healing occurs.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Help improve this article. Become a contributor!
Guided imagery is a learned technique that teaches patients to guide their minds to more relaxed and focused states. This can directly affect brain and physical functioning as imagining relaxed states (such as sitting calmly on a beach) can have the same physiological effects -including lowered blood pressure and heart rate- as actual relaxation (i.e. actually sitting calmly on a beach.)
Find more natural remedies for depression.
Though often used in the treatment of memory conditions, Ginkgo Biloba has inadvertently been found to also elevate the mood and decrease depression symptoms of participants of certain Ginkgo studies.
Find other natural remedies for depression.
Tiao Qi Zhi Yu Tan is a Chinese herbal formulation is a decoction (extracted oils, volatile comand other chemichal substances as a result of mashing and boiling) that regulates the qi and treats depression. This formula consists of the following:
Gan Song (Rhizoma Nardostachydis)
Xiang Fu (Rhizoma Cyperi)
Fo Shou (Fructus Citri Sacrodactylis)
Yu Jin (Tuber Curcumae)
Bai He (Bulbus Lilii)
Sheng Di (uncooked Radix Rehmanniae)
Find other natural remedies for depression.
