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Treatments
A large number of different treatments are available for
depression.
New treatments (particularly medications) appear regularly.
Continuing research means that the evidence for how well a
treatment works is always changing too. We have chosen to give
only a brief summary of treatments and instead direct you to
other sites which provide more comprehensive details.
Key points about treatments for depression
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We believe that different types of depression respond best
to different sorts of treatments (see below).
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It's important that a thorough and thoughtful assessment be
carried out before any treatment is prescribed.
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Treatments for depression include physical and psychological
treatments.
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Depression can sometimes go away of its own accord but, left
untreated, it may last for many months. Allow yourself to
seek help.
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Depending on the nature of your depression, self-help and
alternate therapies can also be helpful, either alone or in
conjunction with physical and psychological treatments.
Different types of depression need to be treated differently
At the Institute we believe there are different types of
depression, falling into the following three principal
classes:
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Melancholic depression
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Non-melancholic depression
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Psychotic depression.
Those types of depression that are more biological in their
origins (melancholic
depression and
psychotic melancholia)
are more likely to need
physical treatments
and less likely to be resolved with
psychological treatments alone.
We believe
non-melancholic depression can be treated equally
effectively with physical treatments (antidepressants) or with
psychological treatments.
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