Once in a while, you may come across claims about a ‘magic bullet’ that can treat a particular disease or disorder.
One example is glandular supplements as a largely untapped technique in treating depression and manic depression.
While hormonal imbalance does affect one’s mood, mental conditions, in general, are more complicated than you think.
According to Beyond Blue, a well-known mental health support group in Australia, depression generally doesn’t stem from a single event but rather multiple episodes over a long period.
A recent loss might appear to be the reason for one’s slump, but it becomes clearer when taking past events and chronic illnesses into account.
When you have many things making you ill, it’s important to consider the bigger picture of how to feel better.
That’s why treating mental disorders is often a combination of medications, therapy, and lifestyle changes. Even with new research coming in, doctors will still rely on the tried-and-true like counseling.
On its own, counseling (also called psychotherapy or talk therapy) is an effective treatment for depression.
But you’ll be surprised at how much further it can go when it’s a part of a thorough treatment plan.
Below are several reasons counseling will remain a helpful way to manage depression.
Talking It Over Works
Many health professionals suggest talking about your troubles with a friend or loved one.
While it may not look much, it results in greater connection, and less feelings of isolation.
You don’t have to offer a solution to their problems; just lend an ear for as long as necessary.
You can also take this opportunity to convince them to seek help from Vancouver depression counsellors and other services.
They, too, will lend an ear to one’s troubles but with the added benefit of thoroughly assessing symptoms and root causes for dysfunction.
It’s incredible how experienced counselors are good at their work.
In a study of eight sessions performed by female counselors who only received minimal training, researchers discovered a major reduction in depression and anxiety scores among the people they counseled.
If that’s the case, imagine how much those with years under their belt can lower that score further.
Costs as Much as Medication
According to a Lancet Global Health editorial, anxiety and depression result in a loss of USD$ 1 trillion in productivity in the U.S.
Depression and other mental health disorders result in underperformance at work, often making it difficult to report for work at all.
The financial burden then falls on the employee as well as their employer.
Coupled with the trend that a majority of countries spend lower than 2% of their health budgets on mental health, the editorial urges everyone involved to make significant investments.
Every dollar spent can return at least USD$ 4 in improved well-being and productivity.
As financial issues can contribute to mental health problems, doctors understand the need for treatments that won’t burn through the patient’s savings.
In her whitepaper, psychodynamic counselor Liz Bondi of the University of Edinburgh wrote that counseling costs as much as antidepressants, yet just as effective.
But exactly how much can it save? Researchers in Germany found the answer by establishing an outreach clinic north of the country.
According to data from 85 participants, an average patient would spend close to EUR€ 6,000 (USD$ 7,100) yearly.
After the outreach, the cost decreased to over EUR€ 4,000 (USD$ 4,700), a 25% reduction. Of course, real-life figures can still vary.
Medications Might Not Work
Speaking of antidepressants, the effect of pills and other medications can vary by person.
Some patients may be unable to take them, as it may make their chronic conditions worse.
Others struggle with side effects, or improve for a while, only to relapse once the medications are stopped.
For Eva Redei, a reputable depression researcher at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, antidepressants might not even be the right drug.
In her 2009 research presented at a conference in Chicago, she outlined that many antidepressants are based on a previously held and oversimplified belief that stressful events cause depression.
Arguing that antidepressants target stress rather than depression, she stated “The medications have been focusing on the effect, not the cause.”
Counseling is a safe choice for the reasons already explained earlier.
Counselors listen to a person’s concerns and offer sound guidance and support on managing these sources of depression.
This doesn’t mean that antidepressants are ineffective; they still contribute to thorough treatment in other ways.
Conclusion
Modern science is gradually shedding more light on how mental disorders like depression work.
New potential treatments will be published in the following years but still need further research.
For now, the current combination of drugs, therapy, and lifestyle changes will have to do—and there’s nothing wrong with that.