A Detailed Look at Depression Treatment and Therapeutic Methods

This essay provides an overview of various therapeutic techniques used in the treatment of depression, evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of each approach. It begins by acknowledging the increasing prevalence of depression in modern society due to social pressures and personal disappointments. The essay then discusses the importance of understanding the medical interpretation of depression and the role of social interaction in preventing mood disorders. Various mitigation techniques, including medication and behavioral interventions like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), are examined. While acknowledging the effectiveness of medication, the essay highlights potential long-term side effects of antidepressants, such as weight gain, mood swings, and addiction, which may exacerbate depressive symptoms. Alternative therapies like magnetic and electrical pulse treatments are also considered, with a cautious approach to Vagus Nerve Stimulation due to potential risks. The essay concludes that behavioral therapies are the most beneficial due to their lack of severe side effects and their focus on improving social interaction and thought processes.

Running head: DEPRESSION TREATMENT
Depression Treatment
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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DEPRESSION TREATMENT
The article on depression that I have done provides a number of insights on the different
therapeutic techniques that can be used for the intervention in the treatment of depression. While
understanding depression and the various causes related to it, I came to understand the way in
which the medical understanding interprets depression. The lack of the interaction of the person
in the society is an important determinant of issues regarding the onset of mood related disorders
among individuals (Gilbert 2016). I think that in modern society there are a number factors
affecting the daily life of the individuals in the society. The number of social situations personal
ambitions and the subsequent failures or disappointments make depression an overpowering
syndrome (Karp 2016).
It is with the acceptance and understanding of this mood disorder that various mitigation
techniques came into existence. Improvement and implementation of the techniques used in the
intervention to depression helps in mitigation of various depression related issues (Avenevoli et
al. 2015). The factors affecting depressive symptoms are often results of long term effects on the
psyche of a person. It is seen that in most of the cases depression is a result of long term social
and personal instigators of mood related issues which have to be understood (Barth et al. 2016).
In the reading and the research of the topic I learnt the various aspects of the medication and
behavioural interventions. The interventions however have their own side-effects affecting the
overall life of a person. One of the major issues in this context is that interventions need help and
acceptance of the patient for their proper success in the treatment (Midgley et al. 2017). The
researches collected on behavioural interventions show almost no side effects other than the
dependence of the individuals on their specialists (Solomon 2014). The behavioural interventions
like CBT and the IPT are I think the best methods of the treatment of depression. Since these
methods work towards improving the depressing memory making it a happy memory which

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alleviates the cause of depression (Hetrick et al. 2016). I think this is one of the best trainings
that can be given to patients suffering from depression as it can make them control the thought
process leading to depression. The behaviour therapies also make the patients behaviourally
ready to combat depression (Weitz et al. 2014). It is seen that depression makes people move
away from the society and behavioural therapies help in improving interaction patterns of
individuals in the society (Carter et al. 2015).
I have also found a number of medicinal interventions and hormonal treatments which
are used treat depression among majority of patient. It is seen that there are most opted for the
treatment by patients (Orgeta et al. 2017). I however think that there are more drawbacks to these
treatments rather than positive effects on the patient. The long term side effects of using anti-
depressants show a number of unpleasant after effects on patients greatly affecting their overall
health (Luckenbaugh et al. 2014). In the research I found out that most anti-depressants have a
number side effects including weight gain, loss of appetite, mood swings and insomnia (Correll
et al. 2014). These side effects in the long term may become the causes of further aggravating
depression among the patient. Most of the people in the present society want to look good and fit
and weight gain or loss along with sleep deprivation may have a strong effect on their health
(Duman et al. 2016). It is seen that most people cannot withstand these long term effects and
may in the long term suffer from further mood disorders such as anxiety further leading to
depression (Murrough et al. 2013). I have also found that a number of researches point out that
anti-depressant drugs might become addictive in due time for the patients who use them and
affect their long term health. The addiction to the medication and the withdrawal may result in
the rebound of the depressive symptoms after the medicine is stopped (Bonnet and Scherbaum
2015). I think that it is particularly not healthy to put a patient affected by a mood disorder on

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addictive medication as in the long term they affect the psyche of the patient. I think it is also
important for the patient to be given the medicine in extreme cases and gradually taken off it.
After the medication has reduced the initial symptoms, the patient should be given behavioural
therapies to decrease the side effects on the patient (Phillips et al. 2014).
One of the other therapies that I learnt were used to treat depression were the alternative
magnetic an electrical pulse therapies. I think that these are the therapies which can be used in
the future to help in the development of the better strategies to improve treatment of depression
but they need some proper intervention for proper implementation (Müller et al. 2018). The
electromagnetic and the electric pulse therapies focus on the simulation of parts of brain which
affects and causes depressive symptoms. The therapies cannot be tested for their efficiency, but
can be used as the treatments are relatively harmless to the human health (De Raedt et al. 2015).
The Vagus Nerve Stimulation however is one of the therapies which can have major side effects
on the people as it has electrodes placed in the brains of the people. The placement of the
electrodes and the passing of the electrical pulses may affect the brain. It has often led to a
number of issues as there are a number of disorders which may affect the patient in a number of
ways (Rong et al 2018). The electrical pulses have seen to affect the mood of the people and
affect their sleep cycle in the long term. The VNS has also led to a number of cases of
haemorrhages and infection among the patients.
Among the different intervention methods that I have studied to be used in the treatment
of depression have very different approaches. Among the methods of intervention that I have
student I think that the behavioural therapies are best as they do not have any strong side effects
affecting the patients in the long term. I have seen that depression is one of the major issues

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rising among the patients in the society is the social stress and the social competition to succeed
which can be mitigated by behavioural therapies.
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