Major depressive disorder, also commonly called depression, is a debilitating mental illness that affects millions of people throughout the United States and the rest of the world. We call depression debilitating because it genuinely can be. Its symptoms include persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, general loss of interest in life, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and thoughts of death and suicide.
Fortunately, the outlook for people with depression is not all dark. Combinations of medications and talk therapy have proven effective at improving the symptoms of depression and making life much more tolerable. This traditional form of depression treatment does not have a perfect track record, however. Although it has worked for many people, others may experience lingering health problems relating to their depression, issues that don’t seem to be improving with typical antidepressants and psychotherapy.
At Bespoke Treatment, we argue that individuals with depression may benefit from a mixture of treatments that includes alternative methods such as TMS therapy in Los Angeles.
So, how can you tell if your current depression treatment is really working? Here are a few questions to ask yourself to determine that answer.
- Are My Current Treatment Forms Sufficient?
We mentioned that depression treatment often encompasses antidepressant medications and talk therapy. Those two elements can work marvelously well together. However, for some patients, these treatments just don’t do the trick, and depression symptoms remain.
In that case, we might also suggest speaking to your doctor about adding in another treatment factor such as ketamine infusions in Los Angeles. Ketamine is an intravenous medication that has shown great promise as an antidepressant. It begins working in the brain immediately to alleviate symptoms of depression, which cannot be said for slow-and-steady traditional antidepressants.
- Am I Experiencing Debilitating Side Effects?
Standard antidepressants often come with side effects. Although the medications themselves may treat your depression, those side effects could cause you distress and pain in other areas of your life. Side effects of traditional depression medications include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight changes, and decreased libido.
You want to treat your depression, but certainly not at the cost of these other forms of suffering. Luckily, Bespoke Treatment’s alternative therapies for depression significantly minimize instances of side effects. The most you may experience with TMS or ketamine therapy is mild headaches and floating sensations, and these usually wear off rapidly when a treatment session ends.
- Are Some of My Symptoms Remaining?
The last question is one you should ask yourself frequently during any kind of depression treatment: are some of your depression symptoms being treated while others persist? Symptoms that linger despite months or years of treatment can be a strong sign that a change is needed. Depression treatment should ideally be comprehensive, but if you are still experiencing troubling symptoms of depression–or if you have other conditions such as anxiety that are not being addressed–you should talk to your doctor about alternative treatment methods.
Receive Revolutionary TMS Therapy in Los Angeles
Bespoke Treatment is at the cutting edge of treatments for depression, anxiety, and a range of other mental disorders. We stand behind our TMS and ketamine therapy methods for treating these conditions and allowing people to reach their full potentials in life.
Patients can apply with us to get pre-approved for treatment, or doctors can refer their patients to our facilities. We want you to get in touch with us if your depression symptoms have been lingering and you are ready to try something new. We look forward to hearing from you.
