What to Do When Your Depression Treatment Is Not Working

Coping with major depressive disorder can be difficult enough to manage with treatment. But what happens when your depression treatment is not working? You’ve gone to therapy, you’ve tried different antidepressants, and you’re committed to a self-care routine. Despite the effort, you’re still struggling to feel better.

So what do you do when talk therapy and medication aren’t enough? Finding the right treatment takes time. You may have to try a new combination of therapy and medication to find what suits your needs. Below you’ll learn more about why your current depression treatment might not be working and what options are available to you.

Signs Your Current Depression Treatment Is Not Working

If your depression treatment is not working, don’t give up. It’s easy to feel like your treatment plan isn’t working because your depression is too severe to treat. However, it’s common that your first experience with medication or therapy doesn’t work out. This can be the result of a simple mismatch.

Maybe you didn’t feel comfortable with your first therapist or therapy alone isn’t enough for treating the severity of your depression symptoms. Or the medications you’ve taken simply aren’t working for your body. These factors have a major impact on your ability to see improvements in your mental health.

These are some of the signs that your depression treatment is not working:

• You still don’t feel like yourself
• Medication side effects are too difficult to manage
• You’re experiencing more frequent or severe episodes of depression
• You’ve noticed minimal or temporary improvement
• You’re experiencing anxiety symptoms or have developed of an anxiety disorder
• You feel suicidal

Why Antidepressant Medications Sometimes Stop Working

Not all depression medications are the same, and no medication works for everyone. In fact, as many as two-thirds of adults diagnosed with depression don’t get the help they need from the first antidepressant they take. If your depression treatment is not working, it can be as simple as the wrong type of medication or dosage. With this in mind, here are some reasons why your antidepressant may not be working:

• Not every medication is effective for every person
• Additional medication is counteracting it
• Hormonal or weight changes
• The dosage isn’t right
• Your medication timeline may need an adjustment
• You’re experiencing treatment-resistant depression

Finding the right medication and dosage takes time. You may have to adjust the dosage multiple times or try several different medications before you find what works. It’s possible a medication that did work no longer works, so you have to start the cycle over again. In addition, antidepressants work the best in conjunction with psychotherapy. If you’re relying solely on medication to treat your depression, you could be missing out on an essential component for minimizing symptoms.

Types of Antidepressants

There are five classes of antidepressants:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
• Atypical antidepressants

Each type of antidepressant works differently and affects different neurotransmitters. Because of these, antidepressants in one class may work better for you than in another. When it comes to trying a new antidepressant there are a few options. You can:

• Switch medications within the same class
• Try a medication in another class
• Add an additional medication (adjunct or combination therapy)
• Add a medication not typically used for depression, such as an antipsychotic (augmentation therapy)

Remember to always talk to your doctor before stopping the usage of any antidepressants. Sudden stopping or switching can potentially cause dangerous side effects.

If your current depression treatment is not working and you’ve already tried several different antidepressants, don’t worry. You haven’t exhausted all your options. Inpatient adult psychiatric services might be able to help you. A treatment center that provides intensive 24/7 care and evidence-based treatment modalities can give you the one-on-one attention you need to discover what works for managing your depression symptoms.

What to Do When Your Depression Treatment Is Not Working

If your depression treatment is not working, The Willough at Naples can help. Here adults struggling with depression receive the quality of care they need to manage their mental health disorder in the long term. Our inpatient adult psychiatric services are implemented by a counseling team that works with patients to get them the care they need for their individual struggles.

Your counseling team will help you identify the cause of your symptoms and then create a plan with your treatment goals and needs in mind so you can regain a healthy quality of life. Through this program, patients benefit from various treatment modalities including medication evaluation and management, long-term wellness education, and therapy.

Similarly to medication, there are various formats of therapy to choose from. For example, maybe cognitive behavioral therapy or another one-on-one therapy method didn’t work for you in the past. While it might work better in an immersive environment like inpatient treatment, maybe you could benefit more from group therapy or family therapy. You can even channel your emotions into a more creative or physical outlet with recreational therapy.

You may not have found the right depression treatment so far, but eliminating outside stressors might be able to help. Make your healing journey a priority with a support system of mental health professionals and others who understand the struggle you’re going through.

Depression Treatment in Naples, Florida

The Willough at Naples provides comprehensive therapeutic programs to help adults struggling with major depressive disorder. Our treatment center provides a safe environment and the necessary tools to help you find the right treatment method. Every member of the team will work with you to create an individualized plan that addresses all your mental health needs.

If your current depression treatment is not working but you think inpatient treatment can offer something new, call us at (239) 688-3063 . You can also send us your questions by submitting a full contact form online. Although this process can make you feel defeated, it’s possible to treat depression once you find the right treatment method.