Will depression treatment really help me? If you ever had to deal with depression as a patient or as someone close to a depression sufferer, you will no doubt have asked this question yourself or have heard it.
There are two misconceptions about depression treatment and modern medicine in general that commonly lead to such a reaction: 1) If I just take my pills it will go away in a jiffy! Today, according to our expectations, anything, including our mind and body needs to be fixed fast, if broken.
However, in reality the fight with depression is a long, though often successful, one.
Depression medication usually takes a couple of weeks before its positive effect kicks in fully - So does the effect of other depression treatments or treatment supports, be it electrotherapy, herbs, or a change in lifestyle.
Even worse, at the beginning of depression treatment things seem to be getting worse before they get better.
This is a natural and well-known effect of treatments for depression that has nonetheless led to many patients quitting treatment feeling that depression treatment does not help them.
2) I have read about this guy who said that treatment xyz did not help him - It is no good! Not every depression treatment is for everyone.
In fact the more advanced our understanding of human biology and of depression medication gets the more it is obvious that each and every patient is different, though fortunately there are many common traits among large groups - hence the development towards a "personalized medicine".
Many different kinds of depression treatment exist today.
Each depression treatment has potential side effects and has a large range of effectiveness over a given patient population.
Both effects are on the one hand dependent on the dose of depression medication applied, on the other hand they are a function of the patients' different biochemical and genetic traits.
That some patients experience side effects with depression medication, or do not get healed through a particular depression treatment does not mean at all that the same depression treatment will definitely not work for you.
Even if YOU experience negative side effects of depression medication or your treatment for depression does not seem to alleviate your condition even after some time, there is no need to despair.
The range of depression treatment options is so large nowadays that you have a very high likelihood to get the depression treatment you need.
The chance for depression treatment on the whole not working in your case is very slim, though, for the reasons discussed above, certain treatments for depression may not work yet, not at all or only with many side effects in your particular case.
Your medical professional will work out the right treatment for your depression with you.