Two Smart Ways to Treat Depression Without Drugs

If you're looking for ways to treat depression, you may be concerned about the disturbing side effects of prescription drugs. In this article, you'll learn more about these side effects along with some viable alternatives that can lift your mood and help you get your life back without causing other health problems.

First let's talk about the drawbacks of drugs as a way to treat depression. As you probably know, prescription medications have a host of side effects which are common to all classes of drugs. If you're already feeling down, then side effects like weight gain, sleeplessness, anxiety, a sense of impending doom, aggressive behavior and even suicidal ideation are probably not going to help you to feel better about your life. Although these drugs do work for certain people, you really have to take a hard look at the side effects and ask yourself if they are worth the potential benefits.

Further, pharmaceutical companies will never reveal this in their advertisements, but they are not entirely certain why or how anti-depressants work and how they will affect the brain long term. This is why countless people are looking for alternative ways to treat depression. Many of these people are returning to natural substances which have been used for centuries.

These natural remedies contain herbs like Passion Flower and St. John's Wort that not only have been time-tested, but proven to be clinically effective. Of course, it is important to understand that not all remedies are created equal, so look for one that includes the two ingredients listed above and also look for a manufacturer that offers a one-year, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee. It stands to reason that a manufacturer that offers such a solid guarantee has taken the time to formulate a superior product. Taking a natural remedy is one of the best, most effective ways to treat depression.

Once the remedy has started to elevate your mood (by increasing the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in the brain), you can consider learning some new coping skills that will help you fend off depression. Behavioral therapy is good way to treat depression because it teaches the skills that will help you cope with life, so that you will no longer be at the mercy of events outside your control. In behavioral therapy, you will learn how to calm yourself and get perspective even in the face of stressors that would normally make you anxious or make you want to spend the day in bed.

Although it's important to learn skills and not just take pills, behavioral therapy is more effective once you have the energy and motivation to start making positive changes in your life which is why it is highly recommended that of the two ways to treat depression that do not involve drugs, you start by taking natural remedies first.