Where to get help for depression

Some of these activities can include: Spending time with friends and having fun. Making time to relax and enjoy yourself. Organising your time so you feel in control.

Finding things to laugh about. Pursuing activities that you enjoy and are interested in. Focusing on the things to be grateful for in life. Practising acts of kindness which also helps to improve your mood. For support, you can speak to your doctor or visit the following: HealthLine Health Promotion Board's toll-free health information service line that is available in 4 languages T: Mon-Fri: 8.

Related A-Z. Health Promotion Board Hepatitis B. Browse A-Z. If you have mild depression, your doctor may suggest waiting to see whether it improves on its own, while monitoring your progress.

This is known as "watchful waiting". They may also suggest lifestyle measures such as exercise and self-help groups. Talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy CBT , are often used for mild depression that is not improving, or moderate depression. Antidepressants are also sometimes prescribed. For moderate to severe depression, a combination of talking therapy and antidepressants is often recommended. If you have severe depression, you may be referred to a specialist mental health team for intensive specialist talking treatments and prescribed medicine.

Many people with depression benefit by making lifestyle changes, such as getting more exercise , cutting down on alcohol , giving up smoking and eating healthily. Reading a self-help book or joining a support group are also worthwhile. They can help you gain a better understanding about what causes you to feel depressed.

There are also techniques that focus on neuromodulation, which incorporates electrical, magnetic or other forms of energy to stimulate brain pathways. Whatever approach is selected, the patient should be a willing and active participant, engaging in psychotherapy or regularly taking the medication, for example.

Total openness is important. You should talk to your doctor about all of your symptoms, important milestones in your life and any history of abuse or trauma. Also tell your doctor about past history of depression or other emotional symptoms in yourself or family members, medical history, medications you are taking — prescribed or over-the-counter, how depression has affected your daily life and whether you ever think about suicide.

Alan Gelenberg, M. Learn More. Search Now. The new Lamar Odom documentary, "Reborn," explores controversial ketamine therapy after the NBA star credited the medication for turning his life around.

Ketamine therapy carries a similar stigma. When most people think of ketamine, they envision the party drug popular in the '90s and the early '00s. How can a psychedelic party drug be a useful tool in a psychiatrist's pharmacological arsenal?

Is this a joke? For many, absolutely not. Many experts will try therapy prior to trying medication. However, if depression is more severe, many will try a combination of therapy and medication. Talk therapy involves discussing your problems and how you feel with a trained therapist. Your therapist can help you detect patterns of thought or behavior that contribute to your depression.

You may be given homework, such as tracking your moods or writing in journals. This will help you to continue your treatment outside of appointments. Your therapist can also teach you exercises to reduce stress and anxiety and help you understand your illness. A therapist can also help you create strategies to identify and avoid any triggers that exacerbate your depression.

This includes developing coping mechanisms for when you experience these triggers. Talk therapy may resolve temporary or mild depression. It can often treat severe depression but not without other treatments such as medication. Cognitive therapy aims to determine the negative thoughts and emotions that exacerbate depression. This type of therapy helps people identify these unhelpful though patterns and to turn them into more productive ones. Behavioral therapy seeks to identify and help change potentially self-destructive or unhealthy behaviors.

It functions on the idea that all behaviors are learned and that unhealthy behaviors can be changed. The focus of treatment is often on current problems and how to change them.

This type of therapy usually focuses on helping patients engage in activities that will enhance their feelings of well-being. Cognitive behavioral therapy CBT is a type of psychotherapy. This form of therapy modifies thought patterns in order to change moods and behaviors. CBT is a blend of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy.

It focuses on addressing both the negative thought patterns and the behaviors that contribute to depression. There are a variety of alternative and natural treatments that are often used to treat depression. Sometimes it can be helpful to use complementary or natural treatments for depression alongside traditional ones. Be sure to check in with your doctor before adding supplements or other complementary treatments to your routine.

Organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI offer support groups, education, and other resources to help address depression and other mental health conditions.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America ADAA is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and treating a variety of mental illnesses, including depression.