Treatment Options for Depression It is very important to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about how you've been feeling. Only he or she can make an appropriate diagnosis of depression. Your doctor will recommend a treatment plan based on his or her assessment. Depression treatments tend to fall into three primary areas: Lifestyle changes Talk therapy, and Antidepressant medication Many healthcare professionals recommend a combination of all three. Therapy typically means that you spend about an hour a week talking with a mental health professional. Treatment can continue for several weeks or up to one to two years. Every person's situation is different. Depression can negatively affect the way you think and feel. Talk therapy can help you learn to manage your depression and help relieve your symptoms of depression. Depression can affect several areas of your life and as a result, your physician may recommend specific lifestyle changes, which may include exercise. Also, reach out to friends and family for support and try to find more social opportunities and activities in which you can participate. Taking medication to treat depression doesn't change your personality; you'll simply start to feel better. You may begin to feel improvement in your symptoms in the first couple of weeks of taking an antidepressant. Typically, within four to six weeks, you should notice a significant improvement. If you are diagnosed with depression, you will probably have many questions. This is quite common and your healthcare professional will be a good resource for reliable information. Some of your questions may include the different medications used to treat depression. If you want to learn more about a medication for the treatment of depression from Eli Lilly and Company, click here.
Privacy statement  | Terms of use | Copyright | Site Map © 2008 Eli Lilly and Company Support Partners is co-sponsored by the National Women's Health Resource Center and Eli Lilly and Company. Marilyn Martin, M.D., M.P.H., and Sheila Warnock contributed valuable counsel in developing the Support Partners tips and guidebooks. Dr. Martin is a psychoanalyst in private practice. Ms. Warnock is the founder and executive director of sharethecaregiving, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about group caregiving. Support Partners: Canine Companions was developed in partnership with Joan Esnayra, Ph.D., founder of the Psychiatric Service Dog Society, a non-profit organization that provides essential information for persons disabled by severe mental illness, including depression, who wish to train a service dog to assist with the management of symptoms. To learn more about the National Women's Health Resource Center, visit www.healthywomen.org. To learn more about the Psychiatric Service Dog Society, visit www.psychdog.org. This site is intended for U.S. residents age 18 and over only. All rights reserved. DD-38077