Depression: treatment, forms, therapy

Depression - forms, and therapy

In the past, depression in medicine has been classified into endogenous, psychogenic and organic depression - depression is now more likely to be rated for symptoms, severity, duration of illness and relapse risk, but the old classification is still found in many books. In addition to depressive episodes and recurrent depressive disorders, so-called secondary depression can also occur. These are depressions that occur as part of another underlying mental illness (anxiety disorder, bulimia, addiction). This delimits the depressive disorders associated with somatic diseases, that is, diseases of the body.

Depression Therapy

Forms of depression

On the one hand, one can assume that about 25 percent of all chronically ill patients develop depressive symptoms - which everyone can understand well, because of a chronic illness, everyday life but greatly impaired. On the other hand, there are a number of disorders in which depression is one of the symptoms: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, but also heart failure, many autoimmune diseases, porphyria, and diabetes mellitus.

There are also a number of special forms of depression: in atypical eating and sleeping, the affected and much of the seasonal depression occurs not in spring and autumn, but v.a. In winter, on the other hand, many used terms such as Jammer's depression or age depression are still used for individual subtypes of the new classification.

What can one do against depression?

Important is a quick treatment by a specialist! The therapy may consist of intensive discussions about the causes of depression and no need for drug treatment - but this is more likely to occur in a mild depressive episode. Mostly, a combination of drug treatment and psychotherapy is used, because many studies show that the combination leads to success faster and more sustainable than individual therapy.

There are many different medicines for depression. These drugs are called antidepressants and must be carefully selected and combined depending on the severity of the depression, the severity of the symptoms, age, and other conditions. Examples of antidepressants are the active ingredients of mirtazapine and citalopram.

Also in the field of psychotherapy, there are various forms such as behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy or cognitive psychotherapy.

An increasing role is played by psych education: this refers to the specific education of the patient about his illness - thus promoting the self-help potential of the patient and his relatives. Usually, group programs are offered by clinics or psychiatric practices.

Sleep deprivation, light therapy, and electroconvulsive therapy are other treatment options that are only used in special cases. Magnetic stimulation is a new treatment that is less stressful and may soon be able to relieve electroconvulsive therapy.

If you have ever had depression, you already know which therapy has helped you. If you feel unwell again, do not hesitate to contact your doctor. Being open-minded about your friends and family can help you get support quickly if you fall into a deep hole again!