Cost-Effective Depression Treatment Depression can be costly and expensive, particularly if your insurance isn't covered. You may have to pay the cost of deductibles and copayments for therapy sessions. The medications you take can be costly as well. But there are ways to lower costs and improve your health while reducing costs. This study augments a randomized controlled trial using a retrospective claims database to examine the cost-effectiveness of standardized pharmacotherapy and interpersonal psychotherapy in primary care patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression. Antidepressants Antidepressants are prescription medications that can help relieve depression. They function by altering the levels of neurotransmitters that are present in your brain. These chemicals control the way your body functions, including mood and sleep. Antidepressants can take anywhere from four to eight weeks to start working, and some people may experience side effects. Some of these include drowsiness diarrhea and nausea. If these symptoms become too painful, your doctor will change the medication or reduce the dosage. When you begin antidepressant treatment Your doctor will go over all options. You may need to test various antidepressants before you find one that works. Your provider will also consider your age and other health problems. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, your provider will make sure that the antidepressants you choose are safe for you and your baby. Antidepressants rarely cause serious side effects. Some people, however, may experience serious side effects like hyponatremia or seizures. Suicidal thoughts and an urge to harm oneself are also possible negative side effects. These types of thoughts are more common in young people, especially those who are younger than 25, when they start antidepressants or have their dose altered. Consult your physician or go to the emergency room if you have these symptoms. You'll also be asked if you are able to drink alcohol and other medications safely while taking antidepressants. Inform your doctor about all the medications you are taking. This includes prescription drugs and herbal remedies. Your physician will inform you which of these may affect how well your antidepressants perform. Mood stabilizers are a different kind of medication that helps some sufferers of depression. They may be taken alone or in combination with antidepressants. Mood stabilizers can also aid in preventing depression from returning after the effects of antidepressants fade. Psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also known as talk therapy) involves a licensed mental healthcare professional and the patient, either in a private session or a small group. https://www.iampsychiatry.com/depression-treatment can be used to treat a range of conditions that include depression. During the initial sessions your therapist will gather details about your personality and how you feel. They might also ask you to fill out some forms to assist them in determining the kind of therapy you'll need. Psychotherapy is offered by psychiatrists or psychologists and also licensed social workers and marriage and family therapists. They can help you overcome bad habits and emotions. They can also teach new strategies for coping. They can help you understand your depression's underlying causes, such as grieving or unresolved loss problems with family or work or other trauma-inducing events. Psychotherapists are trained to listen to, assisting, and encouraging patients. They can also recommend additional treatments, like light therapy, exercise and other supplements. They can also recommend that you take a break from certain activities in order to lower the stress levels. You can then focus on recovery and not worry about other concerns. Your therapist will recommend a specific treatment plan that will meet your specific needs and circumstances. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most popular type of psychotherapy. It assists you in identifying harmful thoughts and behaviors and replace them with healthier alternatives. Another option for treatment is interpersonal therapy that can help you deal with deeper issues, like loss and grief and relationship issues, as well as other conflicts in your life. Therapy for interpersonal conflicts can help you learn to communicate your feelings and improve your communication with others, and handle conflicts in relationships. It is essential to undergo an examination by a doctor prior to beginning psychotherapy to identify any physical illness that could worsen or cause your symptoms. If needed, your doctor can refer you to a specialist. If you don't have a primary healthcare provider, you can locate a therapist through your employer's employee assistance program or online. If your insurance does not cover psychotherapy, you'll have to pay a copayment. It is essential to bring your insurance card with you so that the therapist can verify your identity and submit your claim to your insurance. Vagus nerve stimulation Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a cost-effective treatment for severe depression that isn't responding to conventional therapies. It is a non-pharmacological therapy that involves placing electrodes on the chest, neck and abdomen to stimulate the vagus nerve. The FDA has approved VNS to treat anxiety, depression, and gastrointestinal disorders. It can also be used to manage seizures for epilepsy sufferers. The device consists of a small generator as well as wires that connect to vagus. The stimulation is transmitted through the silicone sheath which is placed over the nerve. It's a minimally-invasive procedure and is typically performed in an outpatient manner. It is possible to combine it with other treatments, such as talk therapy, but it is not meant to replace them. The vagus is a cranial nervous that runs from the brain to the abdomen and chest. It is a conduit for motor and sensory signals to and from the body, and is a major channel of communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract. It is comprised of eighty percent sensory afferent fibers and twenty percent motor efferents. Afferent fibers relay sensory information from the body to the brain and the motor efferent fibres relay motor signals to the body. There are many different kinds of VNS devices however, they all work by stimulating the vagus nerve. The pulse generator, which is implanted in the chest or abdomen transmits electrical signals to the nerve via a lead attached to an electrode. The doctor can program the device to emit electrical impulses at a certain frequency and also determine the frequency at which the impulses will fire. The settings may be adjusted periodically based on how you respond to the stimulation. A person who has a VNS device must consult with their doctor regularly. The doctor will be monitoring the VNS device to make sure that it's working as intended and also look for side effects. It is important to inform your doctor about any medical procedures or imaging tests that you have since the device may interfere with these tests. Inform your doctor if you are allergic to any substances or have a sensitivities to them. Electroconvulsive Therapy ECT involves the application of tiny electric currents to the brain while the patient is under anesthesia. The result is a brief seizure that alters brain chemical structure and alleviates symptoms of depression refractory and other mental health issues. ECT is usually administered over a number of sessions and can be beneficial in patients who are not responding to other treatments. It can also be used to treat catatonia and mania. Historically, high doses of electricity were used without anesthesia, which led to serious side effects, such as fractured bones and memory loss. However, the most recent treatment techniques are safer and more effective. ECT can be done in hospitals or at home. If the procedure is carried out by a qualified psychiatrist or anesthesiologist, there are no chances of adverse effects. Depression has a significant economic impact. If it is a chronic condition can cause severe disability and reduce the quality of life for those living with the illness. Depression can also cause a higher use for health care and worsen social problems like addiction to substances, poverty and violence. Untreated depression can also result in higher costs at the workplace due to absenteeism and presenteeism. Thus decreasing the burden of depression is essential in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This review was designed to provide cost-effectiveness data on the treatment of depression in LMICs. It examined trial- and model-based studies of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. The review included a meta-analysis to determine the average ICER for various treatments for depression. The results show that the combination of psychosocial therapy and antidepressants may result in lower ICER values than monotherapy. The review found that implementing psychosocial intervention at community level may be more cost effective than delivering them in clinics. A model-based economic evaluation that compared CBT with SSRIs revealed that CBT was more cost-effective than SSRIs. CBT produced higher QALYs between 1 year and five years, but had lower costs at these times than SSRIs. It also had a higher willingness of the societal to pay (WTP) threshold than SSRIs. A study in Pakistan discovered that adding an active lifestyle program to usual medical care was cost effective from a health standpoint as well as a societal perspective.