Since the side effects of many antidepressants are more than many people are willing to accept, alternative medicine has become popular for treating depression. There is much evidence to show that non traditional methods can be very effective in treating some forms of depression.

Combining bupleurum and dong quai make a Chinese herbal formula that reduces anxiety, irritability, and depression. The recommended dosage is 1,000 milligrams 2 or 3 times a day for 2 weeks out of every month. Females should take it the two weeks before menstruation.

Ginkgo biloba increases the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. Forty to sixty milligrams two or three times a day, and expect to see results in three months.

Kava Kava eases mental stress and anxiety. Recommended dosage is 150 milligrams three times a day. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking anti depressants, or have Parkinson’s disease, you should not take Kava Kava.

500 milligrams of oat straw twice a day strengthens the central nervous system–oat straw is high in silica.

St. John’s wort improves mood by gently altering brain chemistry. Start with one 300 milligram capsule and after two weeks add a second 300 milligram capsule.

Homeopathy

• Aurum muriaticum is good for extreme anxiety.

Bach Flower Remedies

• Rescue Remedy eases acute anxiety.
• Agrimony is a good choice is you tend to wear a smile and suffer inner anguish
• Centaury is helpful for depression accompanied with feelings of intimidation
• Cherry Plum is good for fearfulness–real or imagined.
• Mustard remedies sadness and feelings of ineffectuality

Accupressure/Massage

• Bladder 23 and 60 increase circulation and help clarify thinking
• Gallbladder 20 improves circulation to the head
• Large Intestine 4 relaxes tension in the head and promotes calm.
• Liver 3 relaxes the nervous system
• Stomach 36 improves digestion and energizes the immune system.

Helpful essential oils include neroli, geranium, jasmine, lavender, rose, and ylang ylang. Essential oils can be used in aromatherapy treatments—bath, compress, diffusion (vaporizer).

While medication can be helpful for mental health issues, it’s not the only form of treatment. Generally, the best results are achieved through a combination of medication and therapy, and even other alternative treatments.

Therapy can help you work out the issues causing your problem and help you better cope with your symptoms. Depending on what the symptoms are, you may also be helped by treatments like herbs for depression, massage, or relaxation therapies for anxiety.

In recent years, it has become more and more common to take medication for mental health issues. While these problems used to be treated mostly with therapy and many now antiquated procedures, there are medications to treat almost every disorder you can think of.

But with doctors prescribing these drugs more frequently, many people report side effects that range from dry mouth and blurred vision to anxiety and sexual dysfunction. If you are having mental health issues, don’t be afraid to treat them – you just need to make sure you’re well informed and being treated properly.

The first step in finding the right medicine for your mental health issues is finding the right doctor. You can ask your current doctor or therapist for a referral to a psychiatrist, or check online resources for licensed professionals who can help you. Depending on what your condition is and your insurance options, you may want to find someone who specializes specifically in your type of disorder.

When it comes to most medical issues, there’s usually an accepted treatment for most problems and occasionally alternatives if that treatment doesn’t work. Mental health is not the same. There are many different types of drugs used to treat the same conditions and no one medication works for everyone.

Since no one antidepressant is more effective than another, your doctor may prescribe based on which has the least side effects. Additionally, you may have to try several different types of treatments if you’re having undesirable side effects.

The important thing to realize when taking any medication for your mental health is that it’s going to take patience. These medicines are not like pain pills that start working right away and make you feel better within a few minutes. In fact, because of how they work, many of these medications may make you feel worse before you get better.

Many antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication will increase symptoms in the first few days, especially in children and young adults. These medications can also cause extreme side effects, especially when you first start taking them. The important thing is to make an informed decision.

While it may seems confusing, there is help for your problems; you just need to find a doctor you trust, keep them informed, and stick with your treatment program. Make sure to check with your doctor before starting any treatment — medical or alternative.

The term mental health has a lot of stigma attached to it; however, millions of prescriptions are issued for anti depressants each year. Most people will experience at least a mild form of depression in response to a tragedy or stressful situation at some point in life.

This type of reactive depression is very common. Normally the mood will return to normal as time passes; however, in the case of clinical depression, the mood does not return to normal. In fact, there may not even be a situation that caused it.

The symptoms of depression can vary in degrees of intensity, but generally they are:

• Lack of motivation
• Inability to concentrate
• Mood swings
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of interest in daily activities

A seriously depressed person will withdraw from life and be unable to get out of bed. They may have thoughts of suicide.

Besides clinical and reactive, there are several other types of depression. Postpartum depression– the baby blues–is experienced by many women after the birth of a child due to the hormonal imbalance that occurs after delivery.

Holiday depression is another type. Many people feel the need to have a perfect celebration and when this doesn’t happen, depression is the result.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is caused by insufficient exposure to sunlight. In locations where the day is short and mostly overcast, the retina doesn’t send the proper signals to the hypothalamus. The result is seasonal depression.

Manic-depressive disorder, or bipolar mood disorder, is another variant in which deep depression alternates with hyperactivity.

Lastly, depression often occurs as a side effect of taking conventional medicines. Many common drugs for birth control, hypertension, and diabetes have the side effect of depression.

The conventional route for dealing with depression is to first get diagnosed by a physician. The physician will rule out physical problems that may be underlying the mood problems. There will be lots of lab tests to determine hormone levels, thyroid function, etc.

If there is no obvious cause, you may be referred to a mental health professional. Most often antidepressants are prescribed, but there may be a need for therapy as well. Many people get frustrated at this point due to the try and fail technique with drug therapy.

The most popular class of drugs are tricyclic antidepressants. The drugs do not take effect immediately so a period of at least two weeks is needed to determine if they are working. These drugs are extremely toxic so repeated blood tests are necessary. Possible side effects are delirium, seizures, heart palpitations, dry mouth, low blood pressure, reduced sex drive, depression, drowsiness, agitation, rashes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cramping.

The good news is there are newer, less toxic drugs. These include Prozac, Wellbutrin, Luvox, Serzone, Paxil, Effexor, and Zoloft. For this group the side effects only include sexual problems, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pains, dizziness, tremors, insomnia, dry mouth, and excessive sweating.