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    Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.

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  • April 25, 2009

    Blog: Alternative medicine treatments for depression

    By Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.

18 comments posted

Alternative medicine is a term that describes alternative approaches to medical issues.

Need more help?
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
    1-800-273-TALK (8255)
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  • National Alliance on Mental Illness
    www.nami.org
    1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
You may also be familiar with the term complementary medicine, which is used in the same manner as alternative medicine. These both describe ways of addressing medical illnesses in a different way than the conventional medical approach.

Over the next few weeks, we will cover several different types of alternative medicine depression treatments. This will not be an exhaustive review of alternative and complementary medicine, but is meant to be a primer on alternative medicine depression treatment. Most importantly, these therapies are not meant to substitute for the treatment plan (taking medications, talk therapy, etc.) you have established with your health care provider. I like the word complement when describing these therapies as they truly complement (or work together) with other depression treatments.

In summary, there is a role for alternative or complementary medicine in the treatment depression, but one should not rely only on alternative or complementary medicine as a depression treatment. There aren't any studies that demonstrate complementary medicine is superior to medications in effectively treating moderate to severe depression. As always, before you begin any new therapy, discuss in detail with your health care provider.

18 comments posted

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MY00669

April 25, 2009

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