A variety of antidepressant medications and psychotherapies can be used to treat depressive illnesses.
Some people do well with psychotherapy, some with antidepressants.
It is important to note that most people can be successfully treated for depression on an outpatient basis. ECT often is effective in cases where antidepressant medications do not provide sufficient relief of symptoms. Lithium is the treatment of choice for manic-depressive illness and some forms of recurring, major depression. Sometimes your doctor will try a variety of antidepressants before finding the medication or combination of medications most effective for you. Sometimes the dosage must be increased to be effective.