How do I overcome depression without using medication?

Depression can be understood in terms of it being the emotional response to thinking unpleasant thoughts. People who are depressed think of things that make them unhappy. Sometimes this is entirely reasonable for example in the case of bereavement, life struggles or the breakdown of an important relationship. At other times the thoughts that drive low mood are not helpful or accurate. It is important to know which thoughts cause the unhappiness and if they are an accurate reflection of the situation. How then can we find out how accurate our thoughts are? A good start is to think in specific terms about the evidence that supports a thought or belief. If there is no evidence, what else could to be true? If there is no evidence to support a thought that prompts sadness it is possible that there are thinking errors in thinking habits. In depression, black and white thinking, emotional reasoning, predicting, catastrophising and mind reading are common. Low self-esteem and poor self-confidence can also influence mood. Another consideration is state dependant memory, which is the mind's tendency to recall things from a similar state. Therefore, when we're happy we are more likely to think of happy things and when we're sad we're more likely to remember occasions when we were sad. It is important to make the real, practical, changes where possible. When change is not possible, do not attribute the problem to a personality flaw. Be objective and connect cause and effect without inappropriate blame. Remember that, while depressed, there is a tendency to be self-critical. Though it is very difficult to stop unpleasant and unhelpful thoughts altogether, it is possible to correct them with more helpful ones. When people become depressed they may stop doing the things that make us all happy and well. Even at times when motivation is poor it is important to eat well ,sleep well, exercise and maintain positive friendships.

There ae many remedies for depression but they all require you to take action. Depression thrives in inaction, isolation, and withdrawal. Interpersonal therapy and other behavioral interventions can help preven new onsets of depression especially in younger people while social support programs are uniquely beneficial for older perople. "Coping with Depression" ((CWD) course is claimed to be the most successful of psychoeducational interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression, with a 38% risk reduction in major depression. Psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy also have excellent results as they teach people to challenge self-defeating thinking and behaviors. Eat healthy Exercise every day (even if you just walk a mile) Replace negative thoughts with positive ones as soon as you catch them Get enough sleep every night Take B-Complex vitamin every day Stay away from negative people Learn healthy ways to cope with stress, anger and sadness Don't give in, fight back Seasonal Affective Disorder (seasonal depression) can happen when the seasons change. It's most common in winter, especially in the northern USA states, but can happen in summer too. Light therapy works for some people, along with counseling and socializing. Studies show that antidepressants do not work for moderate depression but do help with major/clinical depression and double depression. .

Along with therapy, exercise is a great way to overall make yourself happy. Exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins not only what relieve physical pain, but they also are responsible for a feeling of well-being. Any type of exercise or physical movement will release endorphins, and naturally you basically just feel... happy. An example: drug addiction is based on endorphins. If an addict is addicted to prescription pain medications, opiates, those release endorphins to relieve pain, and that's what gives a person that "high" that they want to keep achieving and achieving. So, when an addict decides to quit and goes into detox, they begin to experience withdrawal symptoms, and one of the best ways to get through the withdrawal is to exercise; to release NATURAL endorphins, the endorphins that the pain medications were releasing, but releasing them naturally through exercise and other activities that release endorphins such as laughing having sexual intercourse. To sum it up, endorphins are responsible for "feeling good," so without medication, there are numerous ways to release these endorphins and naturally feel happy. You can do some research on how to release endorphins along with the examples I mentioned to achieve your natural "high" and be a happier person overall, making yourself feel depressed less often and happier. But definitely also consider therapy. But see a PSYCHOLOGIST, because a psychiatrist will do nothing but convince you to get on antidepressants and write you a prescription for them. A psychologist can't write a script, so he might refer you to a psychiatrist to get a script, but if you explain to him your strong feelings of NOT wanting to be on medication, he will be able to provide you with services to get through your depression without medication with advice and weekly therapy sessions. And maybe the mental health professionals can change your mind about antidepressants; I understand you have strong feelings about antidepressants but they really aren't so bad if you get put on the right type and the right dosage for you they really might help and change your life (as they did for me), but I'm not here to convince you, just giving some advice.

There are many things you can do including: - Change your negative thinking into positive thinking by focusing on the good in your life or situation and not the bad. - Try natural cures like St. John's wort. It really does work! For a more detailed list of Depression cures which are mostly non-medication you can visit the below page.

Though medication is usually the first line of treatment in certain cases, doctors also use psychotherapy or talk therapy and the medical procedure, Electroconvulsive Therapy or what is known before as shock therapy. If you want to go herbal, the extract from the herb St. John’s wort is also used for mild depression. Exercise, acupuncture and meditation are also options to some.

Counseling is a great (and proven) way of treating and managing depression long term. There are short term options to help you and then also longer term options as well! Within counseling, the counselor can give you tailored exercieses and tools for you to use. If you are on your own insurance plan, check for a counselor with the initials LPC, LCPC, LMFT or LCSW after their name. If you are a minor, ask your parents to set up an appointment for you with someone (as listed above). Best of luck to you!!

With a great deal of patience and with as much support as possible from experienced and understanding people. It helps to keep busy as well.

I have overcome it without med's through talk therapy

Exercise... I know it is hard to do but once you start moving you will feel better