Treatment-resistant depression is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in patients who don’t respond to traditional treatments like prescription antidepressant medications. Or, it can also be attributed to people who have, at first, responded well to traditional depressive treatments but have not experienced remission long-term.
People who are not experiencing the results they want from antidepressants or traditional depression treatment may be living with treatment-resistant depression. For some, this means having relief at first but then symptoms returning. For others, it means having some symptoms of depression addressed but not others when using traditional treatment methods. And, in other cases, people with treatment-resistant depression may experience no relief at all using traditional medications and treatments for depression.
While traditional depression treatments are effective, they may not be for everyone. Sadly, statistics show that 1 in 3 people who are diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder don’t achieve remission using traditional depressive treatments alone. So, if you’re struggling with the symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder even though you have already tried traditional treatment methods, you’re not alone.
Treatment-resistant depression may not be diagnosed unless a person has tried a combination of antidepressant treatments from different classes. So, if you’ve not gotten the results you want or need and have already tried a number of different options for treatment, you may be living with treatment-resistant depression. There are some signs that can help you to further identify if you are living with this type of depression including:
If you believe that you’re living with treatment-resistant depression, the first thing you need to do is get a diagnosis. Talk to your doctor about how you’re not experiencing the results you want with traditional medications or treatments for depression. Once you have a diagnosis, you can begin to consider different and effective treatment options that are helpful in aiding people living with this type of depression.
Some available and effective treatment options for people living with treatment-resistant depression include:
dTMS: Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) is a completely non-invasive, FDA-approved therapy for treating symptoms of people living with treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder. It uses a machine that sends electromagnetic pulses through the skull and into the brain in order to stimulate areas of the brain that aren’t signaling the release of mood-regulating neurotransmitters. Thus, allowing the brain to better function in ways of managing symptoms of depression.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy: Ketamine is a prescription medication that can help in reducing the symptoms of depression in people who have previously tried other methods of depression treatment or are currently using antidepressants and want to include additional approaches. With ketamine infusions, low doses of ketamine are administered through the bloodstream. This can help to stimulate areas of the brain responsible for releasing mood-regulating neurostimulators and result in fewer and reduced symptoms of depression.
Spravato: Spravato is a brand name of ketamine medication that, rather than administration through IV-like infusion therapy, is administered with the use of a nasal inhaler. This allows for the same effects of ketamine infusion therapy with a different approach.