Depression is on the increase lately, as recent statistics show that over 350 million people worldwide suffer from this illness. It affects the individual’s thoughts, behavior, feelings and day-to-day activities. There is usually a constant feeling of being worthless, anxious, empty, irritable, angry and all forms of disturbing moods. It also places the person on health risks, as it has been shown to cause excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains and even digestion issues, all of which can lead to several other illnesses. Being a common cause of disability, it is not age-restricted, teen depression have been found to also be on the rise.
However, depression has been considered a highly treatable illness, especially when it is at the moderate level. Lifestyle changes, like regular workouts, is usually recommended and antidepressants are used by patients with chronic depression. Despite how effective the anti-depressant drugs are, they also have their side effects on the health and besides, some people have been shown to have treatment-resistant depression.
Interestingly, there are also other ways to treat depression that has nothing to do with taking medicines or exercising, Keep reading to know more.
1. Deep brain stimulation
Deep brain stimulation or DBS is a surgical procedure, that uses electricity to target specific areas of the brain and is used to treat a variety of disabling neurological symptoms. Although initially developed to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as tremor, rigidity, stiffness, slowed movement and walking problems, it has further been shown to be effective in treating depression. Electrodes are surgically implanted into a specific brain region and are connected to a subcutaneous implantable pulse generator. This generator then controls stimulation and serves as a power source to the DBS system.
2. Ketamine
Ketamine has been shown to be effective in treating depression and has also been used in emergency rooms to curb suicidal thoughts. Elizabeth Ballard, a staff scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health who studies ketamine and suicide prevention says, “we really need much better treatments for people who are currently in a suicidal crisis. Interventions such as ketamine could really represent a new way forward for treatment of depression and suicide risk”.
3. Video games
A particular video game, known as EVO, has been studied by researchers and proven to treat depression. EVO game specifically exercise a part of the brain that is associated with depression, thereby relieving feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness and finding it hard to accomplish tasks. Some other studies have also linked therapeutic video games to the treatment of depression.
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