The medical examination will determine whether or not the symptoms the individual is experiencing are caused by an illness other than depression. The psychiatric evaluation will review the individual s symptoms, current life stressors and situation, treatment history, history of mental illness individual s family and assess the person s thoughts, feelings and behaviors. For some, just one or the other is sufficient. For others, the most effective treatment is a combination of the two. Some people are helped by electroconvulsive therapy or self-help groups.
Antidepressant medication works by affecting brain chemistry.
The medications are not addictive and may take several weeks to be effective. Psychotherapy , sometimes called talking therapy, comes in many forms. Generally, the therapy is aimed at helping the person develop new ways of thinking, deal with people better, or resolve conflicts remaining from childhood. This treatment targets resolution of coexisting life problems such as job loss or death of a loved one. Many depressed individuals will respond to a combination of drug therapy and psychotherapy.