When we talk about natural treatments for depression, most people are probably thinking about herbal supplements to cure depression. There are herbal supplements that can be helpful for depression, but they are definitely not cures. However, there is an argument to be made that natural depression treatments may be better in a lot of ways that precription depression treatments.
The most popular herbal treatment for depression is St. Johns Wort. It has been shown to be at least as effective as prescription antidepressants with only a small fraction of the side effects. The difficulty here is standardization, determining dosage, and potential for medical interactions. St Johns Wort is a very safe supplement to take, but there is still some risk, and a doctor should definitely be consulted.
Again, this is not something that should be relied on as a cure for depression. It is something that can improve your symptoms over time and help you to make the changes in your life and in your mind that you need to make in order to make permanent improvements. Psychotherapy can help you make these changes.
One of the big sticking points for people when they think about depression is the idea that depression is "caused by a chemical imbalance." This is a talking point that sounds good when the psychiatrist says it, because it makes it seem like somebody knows what is going on and it is something that we can correct. After all, you correct a chemical imbalance by adding in the missing chemical, right?
This is incorrect. The idea of chemical imbalance is based on the "biogenic amine theory" of mental illness, which states that mental illness is caused by a lack of certain neurochemicals (called biogenic amines.) This theory has been disproven. In fact, you can disprove it yourself by taking an antidepressant. The medication will increase the levels of its target neurotransmitter within a few hours, but you won't experience any positive effects for several weeks. Why is this? It is because there is something else happening in your neurons that we don't know about yet. In other words, even when antidepressants work, nobody really knows why.
In truth, there are plenty of different causes of depression, plenty of different treatments for depression, and even some treatment resistant depression. The most natural treatment for depression is to examine what is happening in your mind that is unhealthy and to change those thoughts and feelings into healthier ones. This is precisely the purpose of psychotherapy.
Chicago Psychology is a community site where mental health professionals share their insights. If you are seeking psychotherapy or counseling in Chicago, you can get help right away by calling 312-869-2323.