Alternative Treatments

What if Medication Isn’t Enough?

After opening up to a trusted friend about the struggles of your depression, have you been met with the question, “well, aren’t you taking meds?” Is your answer, “yes, but…”? You may have treatment resistant depression. Major Depressive Disorder is one of the most common mental health disorders. Roughly 20% of Americans will likely develop MDD or have at least one MDD episode per year. The number one treatment is anti-depressants; however, a recent study has shown that traditional anti-depressants only alleviate symptoms in about one-third of patients. Meaning two-thirds of all people with major depression have treatment resistant depression! That’s significant. Especially considering the despair of those dealing with MDD, who are looking for relief, only to not find it, even after trying medication.  If the most common option and an option that is often thought of as the only option aside from therapy doesn’t work it’s that much easier to fall into an even deeper depression and despair. How do we treat depression if medications are no longer working?

Hope isn’t lost. Medication is not the only option for relief. More patients need to be aware of the options. This article will introduce a couple of other options. This is not exhaustive nor does it have all the information. It’s my hope that this can be a jumping point of revitalizing hope for those who are battling or helping someone battle treatment resistant MDD.

TMS

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS is a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic pulses to restore activity levels in parts of the brain that are affected by depression and other mood disorders. Patients have multiple sessions over the course of about 6 weeks. The incredible thing about TMS is its efficacy. Depending on the type of treatment, anywhere from 50-80% of patients saw improvement in symptoms with over 30% experiencing remission. This treatment has little to no side-affects and the effectiveness blows traditional anti-depressants out of the water. For more information about TMS you can read more here.

Ketamine

Ketamine is a type of anesthetic drug, and though it is FDA approved, it requires close supervision as it is a dissociative drug and can cause patients to feel disconnected from reality and potentially engage in life-threatening behaviors. Ketamine also has other side-affects including dissociation, intoxication, sedation, high blood pressure, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, anxiety, nausea, and vomiting. It has shown to be extremely effective after one treatment and around 60% experienced relief up to three days after treatment and 40% of those maintained that relief one month later. After six months and multiple treatments 26% of patients still responded to treatment and about 15% were in remission. Some providers combine ketamine with TMS for better results, but that is dependent on the provider and the patients’ medical history. For more information about ketamine you can read more here.

Therapy

Of course, talk therapy is consistently one of the most effective ways of treating MDD and other mental health disorders over time, especially when paired with other treatments. Here at House of Sparrow we are committed to helping our clients know their options and find the best way forward. Hope isn’t lost. There are more options now than ever before to treat MDD. Whether you are just beginning or returning to your journey of healing, we are here to ensure you have the support you need to take another step forward.