Diamond Author
It is a sad fact of life that about a third of depressed patients will not gain any benefit from any type of treatment. It does not matter if it a prescription drug like Fluoxetine or talk therapy or even herbal remedies, none of these seem to work. That is the challenge facing mental health carers to-day which is why they are constantly trying to find new depression treatments.
The main work in this area is trying to find better types of anti depressants. These medicines are effective for about 60% of first time users who are depressed. They also reduce the rates of suicide according to research carried out in 26 different countries, according to the US National Bureau of Economic Research.
As we can see these prescription drugs work for many patients although some of these will give them up because of the unpleasant side effects. These can range from lethargy, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth and loss of libido. There may also be eating disorders and some sleep challenges.
What are the new depression treatments being developed? First, they are now finding that when a booster drug is used together with an anti depressant, this improves the success rate and patients are less likely to quit. Some of the more successful booster drugs are Ritalin and Cytomel a thyroid stimulator.
Some of the new depression drugs such as Effexor work on stimulating the norepinephrine brain transmitter along with serotonin. They have generally fewer side effects although they can increase some agitated feelings and insomnia so if the depressed patient is suffering already from these, this may not be the best treatment.
Another one of the new depression treatments is the vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) which is a sort of brain pacemaker. This implant works by sending electrical impulses to the vagus nerve in the neck. This can help depressed patients because it is believed that the vagus nerve plays a key role in being a signal conductor to those areas of the brain which affect our mood enhancement and feelings of well being. This method of treatment has been approved in the US, Canada and the EU. It seems to be particularly indicated for severe depression and those suffering from bipolar disorder.
While the new depression drugs have to be refined and tested further, the depressed patient is left with a choice of either undergoing some talk therapy, anti depressants, combined with some lifestyle changes or just going down the path of herbal remedies.
In order to make a more informed selection, I have prepared a website where I outline the different approaches to depression. Why not check it out so that you know exactly what the options are.
About this Author
Depression CAN be treated successfully. Why not visit the website:- http://www.improve-your-mood.com. Robert Locke has written extensively on Mental Health for many years.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_William_Locke
