How to cure depression?

I don't think that the words "depression" and "cured" can exist within the same sentence. Possibly periods of "relief" but not cured.

I say this from life-long experience with depression, dealing with desperate searches for finding even brief relief, not getting anything but horrible reactions to various medications, and having gone the gamut of therapists, including two nurse psychiatrists, a psychiatrist, and a psychologist. Life also has showered grief, chronic unrelenting physical pain, deep disappointments including estrangement with our oldest child, experiences that shatter one's perceived reality that then leaves you groping, trying to resurface for air, and other things that can undo whatever progress has been made toward reaching emotional and psychological balance. Life is funny that way..... But if you don't push to resurface, the alternative is not appealing.

I'll offer you these sites from which you can glean information:
• Mayoclinic.org "Treatment-resistant depression". Thorough, well organized.

• Reallifecounseling.us "Is Depression Curable? Here’s What You Need To Know"
This info was composed by a counseling organization, but I found that the article addresses what you ask.
Explains depression, depression relapses, and addresses question “If relapse rates are so high, is depression curable at all?" and “How to Prevent a Depression Relapse.”
The following are excerpted from the article, and specifically addresses your question:
"Experts answer the question of ‘is depression curable’ by recommending that patients stay with their treatment regimen for a minimum of nine months and experience at least two months of general well-being before stopping their treatment completely. For sufferers of chronic depression, the timeline is even longer. Experts recommend that people who experience depression for two years or more stay in therapy for a minimum of two years before considering themselves cure...Keeping depression away comes down to maintenance. Individuals who are susceptible to depression should plan to manage their triggers for the rest of their lives to prevent a relapse. Staying involved in productive activities, staying close with friends and family, and regularly talking with your doctor are all ways to help you keep depression at bay so that you remain healthier in the long run."

• Nimh.nih.gov “Depression” gives excellent, well organized info on the topic, including various types of depression, as well as signs and symptoms. Also covers “How is depression diagnosed? “Does depression look the same in everyone?” as well as treatment/medications. Explains treatment-resistant depression and options for treatment. Covers psychotherapy, Brain Stimulation Therapy, advice on finding help, and most importantly taking care of oneself as well as a depressed loved one. Links to other related topics.

I've always found NIH to be one that I can turn to, along with Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical, John's Hopkins, and a couple of other reputable and reliable medical institutions. Depending on my search, I've also gotten substantial info from centers in the UK, Australia, and Sweden. There are many more sources online that you can carefully choose reliable ones, and obtain information that may help you with your question. I recommend what I do: I keep a journal (within a word program) into which I include info/references/etc. such as what I offered above to you. Has been great when I need to offer info or include it within something that I'm writing. It's also invaluable when I want to substantiate a point with a doubting physician.😊

I hope that is a good starting point in your quest.

Wishing you the best🦋🙏🏽

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Thank you
The changes in the brain , from meditation/ praying
Are amazing.
Does mayo encourage meditation?
It changes the amygdala and prefrontal cortex( look at YouTube for the neurological benifits)
Very interesting.

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Depression is part of modern life. There may be a genetic predisposition for depression but all that is known for sure is that the "environment" a person grows up in and subsequently lives their life in, is almost always the root cause of depression.

The medical model of depression as resulting from faulty neurotransmitters has proven false by researchers quite sometime ago. The fact that we are all just learning about it is because there are few incentives by those who cling to this false narrative to change it. Power and money are strong motivators for maintaining the states quo.

Ever since the introduction of Prozac in the eighties people suffering with mental illness have been part of one big drug trial. It failed. Mental illness is and has always been a psychosocial issue. That is not say that there are not individuals who suffer from brain abnormalities that require a medical model of care. But medicine has know that for a hundred years.

Depression in all its forms exist along a continuum from mild to severe. The most current unbiased research by those who do not benefit from the current medical model, make it clear, depression, write large, is a result of environmental factors.

Children of depressed parents are far more likely than other children to become depressed, with no identifiable genetic abnormalities. Poor children and adults are much more likely to suffer from depression. Those who have experienced trauma will almost certainly become depressed. Patients with health issues often become depressed. Poor nutrition and lack of physical exercise leads to obesity, obesity leads to depression.

The changes brought about by "environmental" factors are real. They change how the body and brain function. The human body is delicate instrument. Too much or too little of anything can create imbalances. Those imbalances inevitably create suffering.

Fifteen years ago as a very successful business owner who was living the American Dream and I was feeling depressed. I was also obese. I didn't sleep. I worked too much. And I didn't exercise at all. The medication model was in full swing. I wanted and received magic pills that would cure my depression. No physical exam was done. No lifestyle changes were suggested. In fact the doctor seemed far more concerned with giving the wealthy and famous local citizen what he wanted then figuring out what was wrong. I was used to getting what I wanted and was happy that he complied.

I know now that I wasn't depressed at all. I was sick. I would get a lot sicker.

When the "heroic" levels of medication I was on didn't work the doctors just kept prescribing more and more. Eventually I was on seven different psyche meds and an equal amount of side effect meds. I received ECT, TMS, Ketamine and countless hours of therapy. Over five years I would destroy everything my wife and I had built. Losing my family to my illness, my billion dollar company imploded and I went to prison, yeah prison.

Prior to being put on mediation I had never been diagnosed with anything. I was a respected and leading member of the community and loving husband and father. By forty five we had all the money we would ever need. In five years it was all gone as was my freedom.

In June of this past year I had finally planned my suicide. Having all the details laid out for the following Wednesday I decided to mow the lawn. Covid combined with all the meds I was on had left me in pretty bad shape so it took my sometime to mow the lawn. I listened to a book "Brain Energy" by doctor Christopher Palmer of McClean hospital at Mass General. The upshot is that mental illness is more often than not trauma induced life style choices. In simpler terms, I had destroyed my health because my unresolved emotional wounding drove me to excesses of self abuse to gain the validation I thought I need. Okay so there is the mental health part.

My physical illness of obesity, lack of sleep, poor diet and lack of exercise caused biological changes in my body. Until I addressed those I would never be free of depression regardless of the treatment or medication. My own experience proved that out, as has hundreds of other research papers published over the last ten years.

Long story shorter, I did some home work and came up with a plan to change pretty much every aspect of my life. I started exercising. I overhauled my diet. I took steps to reduce the stress in my life and I made a plan to get off the medication.

Five months latter I have gone from fourteen different medications to two, one for blood pressure and 75 mg of bupropion, down from 450 mg and both will go away the end of this month. I have lost thirty pounds and reduced my body fat by ten percent. I still have a long way to regain my health but the future is looking much brighter.

Don't get me wrong, this process has not been easy. Right now I often feel overwhelmed by the grief I feel over all the pain and suffering my actions have caused. I miss my family so much I can hardly breath. But I am me again. I can fight for my family again. Today I actually have some hope that I can make something of what's left of my life.

Given all of the evidence it is hard to support the use of antidepressants in all but the most serve cases. Even then the results seldom exceed the benefits of a placebo. Environmental/Life Style changes when implemented and adhered to, always result in some level of improvement that lasts. Without debilitating side effects.

Had you told me this fifteen years ago would I have listened? Probably not. My wife told me over and over again to stop working so hard, eat better, sleep and exercise and I ignored her. My arrogance and selfishness caused tremendous suffering. I was helped along by a medical model created by Big Pharma to appeal to people who wanted and easy fix, just like me. The gatekeepers rolled over and failed their patients.

The truth is coming out and mental health care is changing, slowly, too slowly for the millions of people suffering world wide, but it is changing.

For me I am grateful that I at least have chance to try to pick up the pieces of my broken my life and to be there for my family, if they'll have me.

Least you think there is something special about me I am regular old white guy, The child of broken parents who themselves were the children of broken parents. My story is perhaps a bit more extreme than some but the outcome is all to common.

The information is out there if you want it. Just Google your questions you'll be shocked at how readily available the information is, I was.

I wish everyone relief from their suffering. May you find the peace you deserve.

Jump to this post

Depression is part of modern life. There may be a genetic predisposition for depression but all that is known for sure is that the "environment" a person grows up in and subsequently lives their life in, is almost always the root cause of depression.

The medical model of depression as resulting from faulty neurotransmitters has proven false by researchers quite sometime ago. The fact that we are all just learning about it is because there are few incentives by those who cling to this false narrative to change it. Power and money are strong motivators for maintaining the states quo.

Ever since the introduction of Prozac in the eighties people suffering with mental illness have been part of one big drug trial. It failed. Mental illness is and has always been a psychosocial issue. That is not say that there are not individuals who suffer from brain abnormalities that require a medical model of care. But medicine has know that for a hundred years.

Depression in all its forms exist along a continuum from mild to severe. The most current unbiased research by those who do not benefit from the current medical model, make it clear, depression, write large, is a result of environmental factors.

Children of depressed parents are far more likely than other children to become depressed, with no identifiable genetic abnormalities. Poor children and adults are much more likely to suffer from depression. Those who have experienced trauma will almost certainly become depressed. Patients with health issues often become depressed. Poor nutrition and lack of physical exercise leads to obesity, obesity leads to depression.

The changes brought about by "environmental" factors are real. They change how the body and brain function. The human body is delicate instrument. Too much or too little of anything can create imbalances. Those imbalances inevitably create suffering.

Fifteen years ago as a very successful business owner who was living the American Dream and I was feeling depressed. I was also obese. I didn't sleep. I worked too much. And I didn't exercise at all. The medication model was in full swing. I wanted and received magic pills that would cure my depression. No physical exam was done. No lifestyle changes were suggested. In fact the doctor seemed far more concerned with giving the wealthy and famous local citizen what he wanted then figuring out what was wrong. I was used to getting what I wanted and was happy that he complied.

I know now that I wasn't depressed at all. I was sick. I would get a lot sicker.

When the "heroic" levels of medication I was on didn't work the doctors just kept prescribing more and more. Eventually I was on seven different psyche meds and an equal amount of side effect meds. I received ECT, TMS, Ketamine and countless hours of therapy. Over five years I would destroy everything my wife and I had built. Losing my family to my illness, my billion dollar company imploded and I went to prison, yeah prison.

Prior to being put on mediation I had never been diagnosed with anything. I was a respected and leading member of the community and loving husband and father. By forty five we had all the money we would ever need. In five years it was all gone as was my freedom.

In June of this past year I had finally planned my suicide. Having all the details laid out for the following Wednesday I decided to mow the lawn. Covid combined with all the meds I was on had left me in pretty bad shape so it took my sometime to mow the lawn. I listened to a book "Brain Energy" by doctor Christopher Palmer of McClean hospital at Mass General. The upshot is that mental illness is more often than not trauma induced life style choices. In simpler terms, I had destroyed my health because my unresolved emotional wounding drove me to excesses of self abuse to gain the validation I thought I need. Okay so there is the mental health part.

My physical illness of obesity, lack of sleep, poor diet and lack of exercise caused biological changes in my body. Until I addressed those I would never be free of depression regardless of the treatment or medication. My own experience proved that out, as has hundreds of other research papers published over the last ten years.

Long story shorter, I did some home work and came up with a plan to change pretty much every aspect of my life. I started exercising. I overhauled my diet. I took steps to reduce the stress in my life and I made a plan to get off the medication.

Five months latter I have gone from fourteen different medications to two, one for blood pressure and 75 mg of bupropion, down from 450 mg and both will go away the end of this month. I have lost thirty pounds and reduced my body fat by ten percent. I still have a long way to regain my health but the future is looking much brighter.

Don't get me wrong, this process has not been easy. Right now I often feel overwhelmed by the grief I feel over all the pain and suffering my actions have caused. I miss my family so much I can hardly breath. But I am me again. I can fight for my family again. Today I actually have some hope that I can make something of what's left of my life.

Given all of the evidence it is hard to support the use of antidepressants in all but the most serve cases. Even then the results seldom exceed the benefits of a placebo. Environmental/Life Style changes when implemented and adhered to, always result in some level of improvement that lasts. Without debilitating side effects.

Had you told me this fifteen years ago would I have listened? Probably not. My wife told me over and over again to stop working so hard, eat better, sleep and exercise and I ignored her. My arrogance and selfishness caused tremendous suffering. I was helped along by a medical model created by Big Pharma to appeal to people who wanted and easy fix, just like me. The gatekeepers rolled over and failed their patients.

The truth is coming out and mental health care is changing, slowly, too slowly for the millions of people suffering world wide, but it is changing.

For me I am grateful that I at least have chance to try to pick up the pieces of my broken my life and to be there for my family, if they'll have me.

Least you think there is something special about me I am regular old white guy, The child of broken parents who themselves were the children of broken parents. My story is perhaps a bit more extreme than some but the outcome is all to common.

The information is out there if you want it. Just Google your questions you'll be shocked at how readily available the information is, I was.

I wish everyone relief from their suffering. May you find the peace you deserve.

Jump to this post