Treatment for Teenage Depression

Is There a Treatment for Teenage Depression?

Frequent questions about the treatment for teenage depression:

The best treatment for teenage depression is psychotherapy alone or together with antidepressants in case of severe depression.

Psychotherapy is the place where the actual healing takes place and antidepressants are just a tool, that is used to reduce patient’s symptoms.

Types of Psychotherapy

Psychoanalytical Type of Therapy

Psychoanalysis is based on the hypothesis that there is a big part of person’s psychic that is unconscious and that that part should be explored and addressed because all the answers are there. The patient’s past is talked about and studied as well as her/his dreams, habits, defense mechanisms, miss articulations and etc.

Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal therapy focuses on the “here and now” factors that are causing depression. Its goal is to locate and work on the problems that are nourishing depression. For example problems in relationships between the patient and people around her/him definitely can contribute to depression this is why those problems are fixed in interpersonal therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

According to cognitive-behavioral therapists depression is causes and maintained by self-rejection, self-criticism and dysfunctional behavior. Therefore negative thoughts and dysfunctional attitudes are addressed and worked on.

In this therapy therapists are focused on the person’s thinking and behavior. The focus of cognitive behavioral therapy is changing the unproductive behavior and thinking so that a patient is relieved from his symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Family Therapy

Family therapy is recommended as part of the treatment for teenage depression because it teaches whole family to understand and support, in the best way, their loved one who is afflicted with depressive disorder.

When someone is depressed the whole family suffers, and someone in family can be doing certain things that are making a depressive person even worse. This is why it is recommended that family therapy should be part of the healing process. Even more importantly family therapy can have a big role in prevention.

Is antidepressant therapy safe treatment for teenage depression?

Antidepressants can be used as part of a treatment for teenage depression.

However, antidepressant is a safe part of the treatment for teenage depression only when taken in the way doctor prescribed, and for as long as it is prescribed. Teenagers should always be supervised and in psychotherapy when taking antidepressants.

Other Therapies

Electro-Convulsive Therapy

This depression therapy is used if medication doesn’t work. It is used for severe major depression and bipolar disorder. It can be very helpful therapy and it is nothing like it used to be in the last century. It does not hurt. A mild electric current is applied to the specific part of the brain which stimulates the brain to function better.

Alternative Depression Treatments

There are many other depression therapies. They may not be considered to be scientific which doesn’t mean that they are not successful. However, due to the fact that little research is done using these alternative depression treatments we really cannot say how successful they are.

Natural supplements are often used as part of treatment for teenage depression and there has been some success.

One important thing to know about natural supplements is that just because they are natural it doesn’t mean that they are harmless. This is why any kind of medication should be supervised by a professional health worker.

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Causes of Teenage Depression / Depression in Teenage Boys / Depression in Teenage Girls / Early Signs of Teenage Depression / Recognizing Teenage Depression / Severe Teenage Depression Symptoms / Symptoms of Teenage Depression / Teenage Clinical Depression