Treatment-resistant depression is a state in which the patient does not quite respond to the methods normally used to deal with this condition, such as psychotherapy or medications, or if he or she does, it is only for a short while, after which the patient returns to his or her desperate, bleak state.
Psychology is not an exact science and every individual can react to treatment differently, therefore there are numerous reasons as to why someone might be resisting it. The important thing is to identify the source of these issues so that they can be dealt with.
One of the most frequent reasons is emotional stress. Whether it is a trauma that someone is carrying from his childhood or everyday stress involving financial or personal issues, emotional stress can obstruct the effect of the medications, and psychotherapy would perhaps be much moreeffective.
On the other hand, sometimes people do not really accept that their problem is medical and decide that they know what is best for them by lowering their doses, or skipping them when they feel that they are better. Or they could just simply forget to take their medications every once in a while. These things should be mentioned to the doctor so that he could take them into consideration when deciding on the next step.
Sometimes there is an underlying problem of physical nature that might be interfering with prescriptions for depression or even another mental issue that is being overlooked or unnoticed because the focus is on the depression itself. There are many cases of bipolar disorder being confused with depression.
When first noticing symptoms of depression, one does not have to rush to a psychotherapist at once. The regular doctor is just as adequately equipped to prescribe the antidepressants. However, if the symptoms keep appearing then the best thing to do would be to see a psychiatrist.
No matter which course of treatment one decides to undergo, it is essential to remember not to settle as soon as there are signs of improvement, because the more successful and complete the treatment is, the less chance there is for a relapse from depression.
Besides, even if more than a few treatments seem to fail, one should not be discouraged, since there are plenty of medical strategies in combating depression out there nowadays.
From the dose of the antidepressants in use or combining them with some other medications or a different kind of antidepressants, to various types of therapy, including individual, family and marital, or group therapy, there is bound to be a solution for recovery. One should just make sure to be completely honest and open with his doctor so that it can be found.
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