Expert advice
Q What are the best ways to manage depression other than medication?
A There are lots of ways to manage symptoms of depression – it’ s about finding out which works for you.
Your doctor might suggest that talking treatments such as CBT could be helpful. This involves talking to a therapist to help you understand your thoughts and behaviour better. Lifestyle changes might also help to lift your mood – for example, regular exercise can be more effective at treating mild to moderate depression than taking antidepressants.
Other alternative treatments include complementary therapies, mindfulness, arts therapies and ecotherapy. All of these suggestions can work alongside medication, or as an alternative.
There are also some herbal alternatives to antidepressants, such as St John’ s wort.
Although these can be beneficial for managing your symptoms, they can interact with many common medications with serious side effects. So it’ s really important that you talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what’ s safe for you to take.
To find out more information about managing the symptoms of depression, visit mind. org. uk or speak to your GP.
16 Mind Magazine