Changing the Direction of Depression: Chemical and Non-Chemical Treatment for Depression

There is a flourishing interest in the use of physical activity or exercise in the treatment of depression because

Some hypothesize that moderate levels of exercise will decrease the symptoms of mental health conditions (Blumenthal et al., 2007; Diaz & Motta, 2008; Motta, Kuligowski, & Marino, 2010; Rosenbaum, Nguyen, Lenehan, Tiedemann, van der Ploeg, & Sherrington, 2011) and therefore be used as an alternative or complimentary treatment option for mental health (Libby, Pilver, & Desai, 2012).

One of the studies showed that a combination of exercise and counseling was more effective than counseling alone (Rueter et al. 1982). Martinsen et al (1985) divided a group of 23 participants with clinical depression into two groups – (i) a control group of 14 patients and (ii) a exercise group of 9 patients who were given TCAs (Tricyclic antidepressants) to augment treatment. It was seen that both the group showed similar improvement in depressive symptoms. This does show that exercise has an impact that is as good as medication to lower depressive

A growing epidemic in America is depression. Physicians are able to prescribe drugs to help with the symptoms of depression, but other therapeutic methods have been studied and show great results in recovery. Therapeutic Physical Fitness has shown to reduce depression and anxiety. Ihas been confirmed through experiments that physical exercise can be as effective as antidepressant drugs and some cases suggest that it better prevents symptom recurrence.

Many researches indicated that exercise have impact on mental disorders such as depression. Depression is a common problem that affects many people’s lives directly or indirectly, through their family members or friends. This paper will introduce the definition of exercise and depression, what the influence that exercise have on depression, biological supportive reason, under what circumstance the treatment have the best influence and the negative effects on certain condition.

In the book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and The Brain by Dr. John J. Ratey, MD (2008), Ratey discuses how exercise can help treat many mood disorders and how it can help strengthen our brains. This book is divided into ten chapters all with five to ten subsections in them. The chapters include: Welcome to the revolution: A Case Study on Exercise and the brain, Learning, Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit, Addiction, Hormonal Changers, Aging, and the Regimen.

In 2005 the Center of Disease Control and Prevention 's (CDC’s) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) tracked Americans using antidepressants for three years. The study concluded in 2008 that more than 1 in 10 Americans ages 12 and older have used an antidepressant drug. This study comes in the wake of a heated debate in the media about the effectiveness of antidepressants treating depression. Last year, antidepressants were the second most commonly prescribed medication, right behind drugs directed to lower cholesterol. With so many people in the United States relying on these drugs, it is easy to question if they are just expensive, overused placebos.

In the 2016 video, “Out of the Blue: Six Non-medication Strategies for Relieving Depression” Bill O’Hanlon said that in his research he discovered that since 1997 depression the rates of depression have radically increased 300%. As counselors, depressed individual make up a large portion of the clients we typically see and depending on the client depression can be challenging to treat. Medications can often help some client, but not all. Therefore, it is our jobs as counselors to find more productive ways to help our clients deal and manage with their different levels of depression. This presentation cover six nontraditional approaches that can be very beneficial for clients struggling with depression.

Severe depression destroys both lives and families. Many people try and have tried several forms of treatment before realizing any improvement. Many others are not so blessed and pay the definitive price. Drugs and medication have received a lot of criticism in recent years. This criticism is primarily over the quantity of medication being taken. There are natural treatments for depression and they should be tried first if at all possible

According to Butler et al (2008), exercises that need high energy and regular aerobic practices are likely to cut down the depression symptoms at a rapid rate. Further, the authors are of

However, the results of many clinical trials promulgate its inefficacy and unreliability, with high relapse rates and a dependence on therapist competence.13

Studies are often observed to determine what activities will best benefit certain patients. According to the article “Therapeutic Recreation Improves Depression”,

The first step to treating many of these new cases of depression is the prescription and use of antidepressant medication, however this has cause a mass flooding of our society with unnecessary prescription drugs. Due to the ease of treatment, primarily with prescription drugs, and the large range of severity in depression is often over diagnosed, adding to the problem.

There are a wide array of benefits aligned with physical activity and exercise. Exercising can impact a person’s mood and psychological personality as well as improve their immune system and overall wellbeing. Throughout the essay, the psychological benefits of exercise, the benefits of exercise on the human body and the recommended level of physical activity for an average sized adult will be investigated and explained. Exercise is a vital aspect of a person’s daily regime and should be included within all lifestyles.

Exercise may be one of the most important influences on your overall health to date. While the only benefits that are mainly focused on are the physical benefits, significant psychological impacts can also be linked to exercise. Although some of these benefits aren’t viewed with much enthusiasm, studies have proven that exercise can actually improve one’s quality of life greatly by increasing not only their physical health but their mental health as well. It is because of this that exercise is a