What is the most cutting-edge Treatment for depression?

@aliali we are not doctors, but only people who have had depression. The brain is complex and so something that works for one may not work for another. For me the best is an SSRI medication. Others in here can tell what has worked for them. Hope this is of some help to you.

Good morning @aliali, there are so many medical marvels and technical advances being made. Mayo Clinic has a very strong commitment to research including pain and its causes.

Depression in and of itself creates physical pain which then creates more depression and the circle goes round and round. Anxiety is another emotional response that in and of itself creates pain and then, of course more anxiety. Tackling these neuropsychological issues helps a lot. For me the most effective solution is medical cannabis with a 1:1 CBD/THC ratio. Medical cannabis is from the marijuana plant not hemp.

I am just completing a 3 month taper off the only anti-depressant I have used. My clinician and I practice shared decision making regarding the meaning of symptoms and appropriateness of medications. We both agreed that with Yoga, meditation and mindfulness, I have better tools to deal with depression. And because of Connect, I can be a better partner in this process.

So first discover, then experiment and journal your responses to share with your doctor. Mine understands and accepts the medical cannabis choices. May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering. Chris

Hi, @aliali - wondering if you have any particular kind of depression in mind for what treatment might be cutting edge? Are you thinking of dysthymia, for instance?

@artscaping In fact, I have tried meditation. It is great. Let me put it very briefly: Now I am in relapse; I know how to ease my depression; I am saying to myself: why should I go thru the long path of exercise, meditation and fighting negativity within my mind? Let us seek a magic-like treatment!

@lisalucier MDD i.e. major depressive disorder. I still believe there exists a magic-like treatment for depression. I just need to discover it.

@aliali I personally do not believe there is a magic treatment for depression. Each person is different, and we seek to find what will work for us at any given time. And then we need to understand that a treatment that is successful one time for us, may not have the same good outcome as it did before. That is what makes optimal mental health such a challenge to not only us as patients, but to the medical community, as well. And that is also why there are so many paths to good mental health. Thank you for sharing what has worked for you in the past, as it will help someone else here to understand a combination that might work for them!
Ginger

@aliali, I have yet to find the magic treatment for depression.
I know for a fact that I have dealt with severe, unremitting depression since I was a small child.

@aliali, having said that, I will go out on a limb and say that science is getting closer to finding what makes us tick.

We now know that some difficult to treat Depression is actually caused by difficulty in processing folate. Some individuals cannot naturally produce seratonin and dopamine. I am one of the few.

I am grateful to be alive. There are supplements I have to take daily. Thank God, an antidepressant was found that actually works. I still have to work at it.

Hope. Only a four letter word. But very meaningful. Keep hope alive.

Love and light,
Mamacita Jane

@aliali How long has depression been in your life? Like others, I've learned that there is no one solution that will treat everyone's depression. The general consensus is that the combination of medication and therapy yields the best result for the most people. Finding a good therapist can be a challenge, just as finding the medication that's effective for you. And often it's a combination of medications.

There are many of us who have chronic pain to go along with mental health issues. They feed on each other, one exacerbating the other. The more health issues we live with, the more complicated it becomes finding meds for each of them without unacceptable drug interactions and side effects.

Being humans, we aren't like machines and cars, for which there's a manual for making repairs. We can look at our Chilton's and know what's needed (or find it on YouTube). The brain and body of each person is unique. Sometimes doctors can diagnose and treat things in ways that work for most people. Kind of like socks that carry the label, "one size fits most".

Jim

I am having a difficult time finding a medication .. had genetic testing ... no SSRI or SNRI .. yet they keep pushing them