“I am feeling very depressed, and have not had success with medication. What can be done to help me?”
I have suffered with depression for most of my life and have not had success with medications. Are there any other outlets of treatment?
16 Answers
Yes, there are plenty. At Our practice we offer combination of eastern and western medicine. We offer acupuncture and other services that can help for depression and anxiety and we also offer a treatment called TMS which is fir patient who have been resistant to medications for depression and it has shown amazing results.
Only medication will not treat your problem, engage yourself in some activity, talk with people, read news paper or books, watch TV etc., divert your attention from depression.
Yes, there is something called tms. Transcranial magnetic stimulation. It can be expensive though and is not always covered by health insurance. I myself, am not at all a fan of ect- or "Shock therapy". I think it is archaic...And do not ever use said procedure. Have you also tried going to a licensed mental health professional? Such as an MFT, LCSW, or Ph.D in psychology? They can be very useful. So can a lot of strenuous physical exercise. For example running or biking 2 miles every day, or at least 4-5 days/week...This alone can make huge difference in your mood.
Yes but I would recommend you see a real expert psychiatrist for an evaluation and recommendations because there are many effective treatments that you probably have not tried Search around for an expert in treatment resistant depression They are usually found at a medical school Department of Psychiatry
A combination of CBT and medications may be helpful
There are and you should discuss this with a psychiatrist.
You might try talk therapy. I have found that medication often does not work in lifelong depressions. But, and that is a big but, you have to find a psychotherapist, usually a psychologist who knows what to do.
Medications are a tool for treatment of certain conditions such as major depressive disorder. Psychotherapy is another tool that is often underutilized. Exercise and diet can be very important as well and in some situations work as well as medications. There are more invasive treatments for people that find themselves treatment resistant, but these decisions are best made with a trusted physician.
Medications, exercise, group therapy.
There are other non- pharmacological interventions for management of depression such as: cognitive behavior therapy to address negative thoughts which are very common in depression; maintaining adequate rest - at least 7 hrs of sleep every night, regular exercise daily or at least three times a week, including omega 3 fatty acid in diet such as fish meals three times a week, nuts - 1/4 cup per day, involvement in activities that are stimulating to the brain, engaging in positive interactions with others.
I very much doubt that you had capable psychopharmacological treatment. Today I noticed the patients are exposed to something called "med checks". There placed on a similar group of drugs that don't work when that group of drugs don't work replace another similar group of drugs that don't work. Thus if you need is for competent psychopharmacological care, I would ask consider whether or not you been on pain medicines: Parnate, Nardil, EMSAM, tricyclic antidepressans. Many doctors today have not been trained in using these medicines because they been sold a bill of goods by well marketed pharmaceutical companies. The treatment of depression requires a competent algorithm meaning a very well organized structural approach with an understanding of why each medicine, why the various doses of the medicine, when the shift with medications and how to involve the more aggressive medicines such as Parnate, Nardil.
Most often, when patients come to me with issues similar to yours, one of the following situations has occurred:
1. The patient has been misdiagnosed all along, which explains why the previous treatments have been unsuccessful.
2. Only some of the patient's psychiatric and or medical diagnoses have been addressed, while others have been missed or ignored, thus rendering the overall treatment regimen ineffective.
3. The patient has been correctly diagnosed, but treatments have been ineffective. This most commonly due to having been under-medicated, over-medicated, given incorrect medications and or doses of those medications, not having had appropriate ancillary treatments (counseling, etc.) added to their treatment regimens, or some series or combination of these events.
Because most patients have no way of knowing which, if any of the above, may be the cause of their treatment failure, my advice is this:
Before exploring other outlets of treatment besides psychiatry, I recommend that a patient in this situation give psychiatry another chance. Seek out (online reviews are helpful) a reputable, highly experienced psychiatrist who will do the following: evaluate you both psychologically and medically; provide you with accurate diagnoses (if appropriate); craft a comprehensive, whole-person treatment plan tailored specifically to you; and make subsequent changes to that plan as necessary to optimize your wellness over time. You may have to make a few calls and interview staff of local psychiatrists in order to find out if their treatment philosophy matches what's listed, but it's worth the time invested.
I wish you the best!
~Lisa Fairweather, D.O.
1. The patient has been misdiagnosed all along, which explains why the previous treatments have been unsuccessful.
2. Only some of the patient's psychiatric and or medical diagnoses have been addressed, while others have been missed or ignored, thus rendering the overall treatment regimen ineffective.
3. The patient has been correctly diagnosed, but treatments have been ineffective. This most commonly due to having been under-medicated, over-medicated, given incorrect medications and or doses of those medications, not having had appropriate ancillary treatments (counseling, etc.) added to their treatment regimens, or some series or combination of these events.
Because most patients have no way of knowing which, if any of the above, may be the cause of their treatment failure, my advice is this:
Before exploring other outlets of treatment besides psychiatry, I recommend that a patient in this situation give psychiatry another chance. Seek out (online reviews are helpful) a reputable, highly experienced psychiatrist who will do the following: evaluate you both psychologically and medically; provide you with accurate diagnoses (if appropriate); craft a comprehensive, whole-person treatment plan tailored specifically to you; and make subsequent changes to that plan as necessary to optimize your wellness over time. You may have to make a few calls and interview staff of local psychiatrists in order to find out if their treatment philosophy matches what's listed, but it's worth the time invested.
I wish you the best!
~Lisa Fairweather, D.O.
Often, when patients report issues similar to yours, one of the following situations has occurred:
1. The patient has been misdiagnosed all along, which explains why previous treatments have been unsuccessful,
2. Only some of the patient's psychiatric or medical diagnoses have been addressed, while others have been missed or ignored, thus rendering the overall treatment regimen ineffective, or
3. The patient has been correctly diagnosed, but treatments have been ineffective. This most commonly due to having been over- or under-medicated, given incorrect medications, not having had appropriate ancillary treatments (counseling, etc.) added to the treatment regimen, or some combination of these events.
Because most patients have no way of knowing which, if any of the above, may be the cause of their treatment failure, my advice is this:
In addition to exploring other outlets of treatment, find a reputable, highly experienced psychiatrist who will do the following: evaluate the patient both psychologically and medically; provide them with accurate diagnoses (if appropriate); craft a comprehensive, whole-person treatment plan tailored specifically to that patient; and follow that patient's progress carefully, making changes to the treatment plan as necessary over time.
You can often tell a lot about what a physician will and won't do by reading their reviews. I wish you the best in finding a psychiatrist who is a great fit for you.
1. The patient has been misdiagnosed all along, which explains why previous treatments have been unsuccessful,
2. Only some of the patient's psychiatric or medical diagnoses have been addressed, while others have been missed or ignored, thus rendering the overall treatment regimen ineffective, or
3. The patient has been correctly diagnosed, but treatments have been ineffective. This most commonly due to having been over- or under-medicated, given incorrect medications, not having had appropriate ancillary treatments (counseling, etc.) added to the treatment regimen, or some combination of these events.
Because most patients have no way of knowing which, if any of the above, may be the cause of their treatment failure, my advice is this:
In addition to exploring other outlets of treatment, find a reputable, highly experienced psychiatrist who will do the following: evaluate the patient both psychologically and medically; provide them with accurate diagnoses (if appropriate); craft a comprehensive, whole-person treatment plan tailored specifically to that patient; and follow that patient's progress carefully, making changes to the treatment plan as necessary over time.
You can often tell a lot about what a physician will and won't do by reading their reviews. I wish you the best in finding a psychiatrist who is a great fit for you.
What is most important is a careful diagnosis. Every depression is not treatable by medications. There are many physical causes to depression, ie depressed thyroid function. Best get careful psychological testing, careful physical evaluation and then prepare to see a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst who treats the whole person and doesn’t just prescribe meds. Good therapy takes a very very long time.
I'm sorry to hear that. The best advice is to talk to your primary care physician or psychiatrist if you have one currently, about what their impression is. Treatment resistant depression is complex and requires a very careful examination of previous treatments, as well as looking at the whole medical picture. There are specific treatment options pharmacologically for rx-resistant depression and also types of talk therapy that can be helpful, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. I would recommend contacting your local department of mental health to inquire about such options in conjunction with engaging your current physicians in helping you with this.
When medicines fail, not all avenues have been explored, like MAO inhibitors. For severe depression, electroconvulsive therapy is safe and very effective, though it means being in the hospital and about two months of blank memory (nothing from the past is lost). Transcutaneous magnetic stimulation is less scary for people, but may not be better than another. Try at medication.
