Treatments for Depression
There are many ways you can improve depression. Talk it over with your medical provider or counselor. He or she may recommend one of the following, or a combination.
Medications. There are many medications that can be helpful to relieve depression. You may not have to be on it for a long time, but medication can offer great relief to the biochemical chaos that menopause sometimes brings. If one medication has side effects that are uncomfortable for you, there are many choices
Therapy. Two types of therapy are often recommended for women with depression. Interpersonal therapy helps you see how relationships impact and contribute to your depression, and how changing your style of relating can change your symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at your beliefs and perceptions, and helps you reframe them so that you see situations in a more realistic and positive way. Both types of therapy are short term, and problem oriented. They have been shown to be very effective with depression, especially when combined with medication.
Exercise. Exercise has a proven impact on mood. Regular aerobic exercise like walking, running, rowing or swimming can help elevate your mood. If you add vitamins and light (walk outside!) it is even more effective.
Depression can be life threatening. And at the very least it threatens your happiness and sense of well being. The irony is that sometimes depression lowers your energy so that even if you know you are depressed, you don’t have the energy to get help. If you, or a close friend or family member, suspect that you are depressed, ask someone to come along with you to your appointment. Or if even that is too much, ask a friend, partner or other family member to make the appointment for you. Then keep that appointment. When menopause is swinging your mood to the dark side, you may need help to sort through your symptoms and get back on a positive track.
Sources:
North American Menopause Society, (NAMS), Menopause Guidebook: Helping Women Make Informed
Healthcare Decisions Around Menopause and Beyond, 6th Edition , North American Menopause Society, 2006. 24 Nov. 2007.
Kahn, DA, Moline, ML, Ross, RW, Altshuler, LL, Cohen, LS, "Depression During the Transition to Menopause: A Guide for Patients and Families,"A Postgraduate Medicine Special Report: Expert Consensus Guideline Series, March, 2001. 24 Nov. 2007.
