DepressionHelpSpot.com states that seven out of every 100 adults in the United States suffers from clinical depression at some point of their life. Yet, according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, only 25 percent of them seek help. Although it is always recommended to seek professional help if your depression lasts longer than two weeks and is significantly affecting your life (Reference 3), there are things you can do at home to start recovering.
Exercise
Exercising is highly recommended for people with clinical depression. When you are exercising, chemicals called endorphins are released in your brain. They work almost like natural antidepressants, contributing to such effect as “runner’s high” (Reference 4). For exercising to affect a patient’s mood, it needs to happen at least three times a week and last at least half an hour per session.
Change The Way You Think
Cognitive therapy aims at changing distorted thinking and is based on the idea that changing the way someone thinks will affect how they act. This kind of therapy has been shown to be highly effective for depression. For example, a meta-analysis analyzing a large number of other studies was run at the Johns Hopkins University by Dr. M.L. Smith. Based on hundreds of treatment outcomes and comparative treatment studies, he found out that cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies had the best results for treating depression. This study was published in 1980 by Johns Hopkins University Press. Naturally, participating in a therapy session is more effective than trying to change your thinking processes at home, but there is a lot that a person can still do without professional help. He can, for example, stop taking responsibility for things that he cannot control, or stop talking in negative ways about himself. Moreover, it is useful to stop using such extreme words as never and always (Resource 1).
Natural Remedies
Although antidepressants have been shown to be highly effective in treating depression (Resource 1), according to the May Clinic, they also cause several side effects. There are natural remedies available to fight depression. Among the most popular are St. John’s Worth, valerian, and SAMe (Resources 2).
References
- Depression Help Spot: Depression Statistics
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: Depression
- "The benefits of psychotherapy"; Smith, M. L.; Baltimore: 1980.
- “Cerebral Cortex”; The Runner's High: Opioidergic Mechanisms in the Human Brain; Boecker, Sprenger, Spilker; vol. 18, 2008
- American Psychology Association:Cognitive Therapy for Depression
