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How do I overcome depression without using medication?

Why are some people able to cope with depression using cognitive therapy while others need medication?

  • Somewhat false dichotomy I know.  I'm curious about why some depression treatments for some and not for others.

  • Answer:

    Everybody is different and some therapies work better for some and less for others in much the same way that some medicines work better for some than for others.  From the patient's point of view, if the patient is seeing a therapist and they are not getting better- even noting small but positive changes in 6 or 7 sessions they should speak to their therapist about their concerns and possibly explore other options.  However, the most important factors in psychotherapy are the therapeutic bond- the relationship that the therapist and the patient have with each other, and the generation of hope in the patient.  Sometimes there is just "bad chemistry" and two reasonable people just can not form a working alliance.  But given that depression is such a painful condition, better to recognize a misalliance early and move on to a therapist who can form a positive working alliance with that particular patient.  50 years of research have shown that overall, the type of therapy (CBT, behavioral, solution focussed, etc.) is much less important than the therapist/patient bond, and whether the patient has hope that they can improve (see, eg. "The Heart and Soul of Change" by Duncan, Hubble & Miller, or "The Great Psychotherapy Debate" by Wampold.) From the therapists' point of view- if their patient is not getting better- noting small, but significant indicators of change, the therapist should change strategy.  (This means that therapists can not rely upon only one theory of change or therapeutic modality, but must have several "tools in their toolboxes" in order to be a generally effective therapist.)  Additionally there is a significant body of research indicating that for some people, a combination of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy is better than either alone.  By the way, there is also research indicating that even for medicines, there is a significant correlation between the quality of the relationship between the prescriber and the patient and how effectively the medicine is addressing the symptoms.

Bruce Neben at Quora Visit the source

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Therapy is always the longer winding road and ONLY works for those who are willing to transform their behaviour from dysfunctional patterns to more empowering patterns mediated by an outsider (counselor/psychologist/therapist) Medication is always easier to administer and of course given the ease a lot of people believe that the medication can take care of the whole issue, whereas in  reality they are only numbing their own response to something which is aggravating them- keep hoodwinking yourself by taking medication. Nobody can really recover with medication, though with CBT that may still be accomplished. But who wants to change themselves? Only such a person will really recover- the rest will pay annual bills to psychiatry alone

Hamsadhwani Prateeksha

It's like being a diabetic who needs insulin. maybe some can control it themselves with diet exercise and then there are others who need the insulin shots. Same with major depression. In fact, thinking you can think yourself initially out of that pit of quicksand may cause you to sink further in while delaying getting medication. Once the brain gets used to being depressed it can stay that way and only medication will get your state of mind back to normal. The medication is needed in major depression to elevate one's mood to even get them to be susceptible to talk therapy. Both are needed.

Mary Irene Johnson

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