Depression, a common problem among teens. Depression is caused by genetics, bad personality traits like low self esteem, relationship problems, family problems, death of a loved one, and academic pressure. When depression occurs, they may be unable to perform daily tasks. This would cause them to have a hard time being around others. Then it could lead to worse situations like being in a suicidal state. To prevent this from happening, people go to doctors to get treatment. There are many types of treatment like medication or therapy. Teen depression should not controlled with pharmaceutical treatment because it has more side effects and research has shown that alternative treatments are more effective.
The usual treatment for depression has been antidepressants. Antidepressants meaning medication, pills. The pills would relief the taker by controlling certain symptoms. This allows the person make changes in their life. Medicine comes handy in times when a person is too depressed to talk during a psychotherapy. Then medication would help them feel better and that would allow them to respond. In addition to that, some people the medication may cause them to have one episode of depression and they would remain symptomless for years. Lastly, for some people, as they get older their depressions become more severe. Medication can be used as a way to reduce the frequency and severity.
However, medication is not always the best way to treat depression. Furthermore, it should not be treated by pharmaceuticals because it could result in some serious side effects. The medication varies and depends on what type of depression a person has and it requires trial and error to find the right medication. The medication SSRI (selective serotin reuptake inhibitors), has the side effects of decreased libido (sexual problems), drowsiness, sleep difficulties, and nausea. For some, these side effects might go away after the first few week but for others it persists and may get worse. In addition antidepressants may also increase the risk of suicide instead of decreasing it. This mostly has to do with young adults, so they have to be closely watched while taking antidepressants. If the person shows signs like anxiety, insomnia, hostility and extreme agitation, it means that the medication is making things worse. In addition, when the antidepressants are stopped, the patients experience "antidepressant discontinuation syndrome". A common symptom is depression and anxiety. The depression as a syndrome is usually worse than the first depression that they had. As a treatment for their withdrawal, they would go back to taking the medications. Also there are many minor side effects that can affect their daily life like dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, abdominal pain, sedation, and more. Lastly, some of the medication can be harmful when it is taken with another type of medication.
Furthermore, research has shown that depression could be treated with alternatives that are more effective. There are many alternatives to treating depression. One of the main alternatives is therapy. Therapy is a good way to treat depression because it goes to the root of the problem and it could last a lifetime. Another good thing about therapy is that it doesn't rely on taking a pill daily. Therapy also helps them develop a relationship with their therapist, giving them a feeling of being understood. Therapy would give them a chance to release their emotion. Then they would get advice and guidance that would help them get through depression. Another type of treatment for depression is Herbal remedies. Herbal remedies are good because they are safe and does not require prescription to use. Herbal remedies work by increasing brain levels since people with depression are said to not have enough brain chemicals. Some work by targeting symptoms that were caused by low seratonin. Some work by increasing blood flow to the brain and other parts of their body or it improves the balance of important neurotransmitters. These are not the only alternatives that have been proven to work. There is also the natural treatment, which includes exercise or meditation. Then there is aromatherapy, vitamins, diet factors, and then the treatment through self-help.
Although many people who are being treated for depression are using medication, the alternatives are still there and are available for them to use. Medication have been effective but they carry too much risk of getting the serious side effects. It would be a better choice to try out the alternatives rather than go straight to medications and take the risk of making things worse. Depression is a serious illness that could lead to death. Overall, treatment of depression through medication is not the best way because it could lead to worse situations, whereas the alternatives could help and would have long term effects.
