Need More Than Therapy? Advanced Depression Treatments

Psychotherapy is a key ingredient to improving your mental health. It’s often one of the first recommendations made by both peers and providers to people who are going through mental health challenges, including depression.

If you have major depressive disorder, therapy can help you improve your mental, emotional and behavioral health. A therapist can help you navigate situations that are contributing to your symptoms. You’ll also learn coping mechanisms to reduce the negative emotions and thoughts. Through evidence-based therapeutic approaches, a psychotherapist can help improve your quality of life.

But it’s possible that your depression needs a bit more support beyond regular outpatient therapy sessions. And that’s OK. If you’re looking for other treatments to use in addition to your therapy but you haven’t found past success with medication, there are other options to explore.

Read on to learn how to know if you need more advanced depression treatments. We’ll also discuss options worth discussing with your providers, especially if you have treatment-resistant depression.

When to ask for support for depression beyond therapy

For many people, psychotherapy is a pillar of depression treatment. However, some people may need a bit more than that to make progress on their mental health journey.

On top of therapy, you should talk to your provider about more advanced treatment for your depression if:

Your symptoms aren’t improving, or keep returning after periods of improvement
Your symptoms are having a worsening effect on your daily functioning

If you’ve already tried antidepressants alongside therapy, but you still didn’t see improvements, you may have treatment-resistant depression. Treatment-resistant depression is a condition that makes it difficult to reduce symptoms even with psychotherapy and medication. You may be diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression after at least two trials of antidepressants that didn’t reduce your symptoms.

Having treatment-resistant depression doesn’t mean that you no longer go to therapy. It means making adjustments to your treatment plan, which may include more advanced options.

If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for immediate support.

Advanced depression treatments to combine with therapy

Even though therapy can be effective for so many people, it’s not the one and only solution. For severe depression symptoms or treatment-resistant depression, additional treatments should be discussed between a patient and their provider.

If you’re looking for treatments to add alongside your therapy and you’ve already tried medications without success, here are a couple of alternative treatments worth considering:

Spravato®

Spravato®, the brand name for esketamine, is a type of medication that can help if you have treatment-resistant depression. You may also be prescribed Spravato® if you have major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation or behavior (MDSI).

It’s administered through a nasal spray under the supervision of a licensed professional. People who haven’t experienced improvement from oral medications in the past often see results from Spravato®. Instead of boosting serotonin levels, it increases brain neuroplasticity. This is the brain’s ability to adapt to new stimuli for improved cognitive function.

TMS therapy

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy is a noninvasive treatment. It sends electromagnetic pulses to the brain through a magnetic coil. For people with depression, the pulses stimulate activity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This part of the brain is associated with the reward center and helps you manage emotions, solve problems and remember information.

People with depression have low activity levels in the DLPFC. This causes emotional dysregulation and cognitive challenges. By stimulating this area, TMS creates new neuronal networks to allow patients to experience joy again.

Talk to your provider about adding one of these options to your treatment plan. When you combine them with psychotherapy, you can be likely to experience notable improvements in your mental health.

Psychiatry Treatment Centers provides therapy (and more) for depression

Psychotherapy can be powerful on its own, and the results are often better when combined with other options. If you need more advanced options, especially for treatment-resistant depression, we’re here to help. We can create a comprehensive treatment plan so we can address your symptoms from every angle.

At PTC, we have several options that can help you manage your depression, including: