Question 1

What is the best depression app?

Accepted Answer

Here’s why the Flow depression app is the best of its kind:

The Flow app uses a method called behaviour therapy to help you engage in antidepressant activities that significantly reduce symptoms of depression. It includes over 50 virtual therapy sessions, developed by licensed psychologists.It’s based on the latest research on depression. Your virtual therapist, Flow, will guide you through the treatment programme, help you schedule upcoming sessions, give you homework assignments and track your symptoms throughout the treatment. The depression app, including the full treatment programme, is free to download here.

Said about the Flow depression app:

Question 2

Where can I get an online depression test?

Accepted Answer

You can use this depression symptoms test, called MADRS-S, to get an overall view of your mood. Your result on this questionnaire can be divided into one of four categories; no depression, mild, moderate or severe depression. Higher scores indicate more severe depression. The test usually takes 5-10 minutes to complete. Download the Flow depression app to take the test.(Remember, questionnaires can’t provide you with a complete diagnosis. The result is more like a guideline.)

Question 3

What are the alternatives to antidepressants?

Accepted Answer

Antidepressant medication is the most common form of depression treatment, but you don’t need pills to recover from depression. The following list includes evidence-based, medication-free treatments:

Psychotherapy with a psychologist will not only get you out of depression, but also give you tools for how to manage life in new ways and break old patterns of behaviour. There are many types of psychotherapy, for example Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Short-term Psychodynamic Therapy (STPP) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). Psychotherapy is recommended for mild to moderate depression. If you’re interested in psychotherapy, reach out to one of our partner clinics.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a form of gentle brain stimulation that you can use at home. It restores the brain activity in an area in the frontal lobe, the DLPFC, which plays an important role in depression treatment. Currently, there is a growing interest in tDCS due to its mild side effect profile. It’s recommended for mild to moderate depression, but can be used in all cases of depression. Read more about tDCS.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in another form of brain stimulation that uses a magnetic coil to activate the brain cells in the frontal lobe. TMS is always administered at a healthcare clinic and has proven to be effective against treatment-resistant depression. Read more about TMS.

Regular exercise is as effective for treating depressive symptoms as antidepressant medication or psychotherapy. It’s also the only depression treatment that has an immediate effect on your brain. You need 30-40 minutes of exercise, 3-4 times a week to recover. Read more about All you need to know about exercise and depression – how to build a treatment routine that lasts.

Improved sleep hygiene can significantly reduce your depressive symptoms. Good quality sleep will help you regulate emotions and improve your concentration. Read more about how to improve your sleep in All you need to know about depression and sleep – the most effective sleep strategies for improving depression.

Changing your diet can help you recover from depression. The traditional Mediterranean diet has well-documented antidepressant effects. It includes lots of green leaves and vegetables, fat fish, whole grain and fruit. Read more in An easily digested guide to diet and depression.

Regular mindfulness meditation acts as relapse prevention for depression – it helps you stay out of depression once you recover. Regular mindfulness meditation will help you manage strong emotions and negative thoughts. Read more about How to use mindfulness for depression in 5 simple steps and Top 3 beginner meditations for depression.

Question 4

What are the side effects of antidepressants?

Accepted Answer

It’s important to be well-informed about the possible side effects of antidepressants before starting your treatment. This list includes common side effects of antidepressants:

InsomniaSleepiness during the dayRestlessnessWeight gainDiminished sexual interest, desire, performance and satisfactionHeadaches Joint pain and muscle painMuscle spasms/twitchingDry mouthProfuse sweatingSkin rashesDizzinessNausea An upset stomachConstipationDiarrheaSuicidal thinking and suicidal behaviour (applies to children, adolescents and young adults)

Read more: What are the side effects of antidepressants? – Learn about side effects, tolerance and withdrawal

Question 5

Do antidepressants work?

Accepted Answer

The most common form of antidepressant medication, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), works for about 50-60% of people. This means that around 50-60% of depressed patients notice at least a 50% reduction in their symptoms after two months with antidepressants. These numbers are similar to the success rates of psychotherapy, such as CBT. Read more about antidepressants here: Do antidepressants work? And here: What are the side effects of antidepressants? – Learn about side effects, tolerance and withdrawal

Question 6

What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?

Accepted Answer

TMS is a form of brain stimulation where a magnetic field (about the same strength as in an MRI scan) is used to change the activity of brain cells in specific brain areas. TMS can be used against treatment-resistant depression and is approved by the FDA. When treating depression with TMS, a coil is placed on the forehead to target the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of the brain. A TMS procedure typically lasts for 30-60 minutes and a full treatment includes 20-30 procedures. No anesthesia or muscle relaxants are needed and the patient is fully awake through the procedures.Read more about Can Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treat depression? – Your complete guide to TMS and tDCS for depression

Question 7

What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?

Accepted Answer

ECT is a form of brain stimulation where a brief electric current is administered to the brain to induce a controlled seizure while the patient is under general anesthesia. Because of the side effects, including memory loss and disorientation, ECT is most commonly used in severe cases of depression or in treatment-resistant depression. It can also be used to treat bipolar disorder and symptoms of schizophrenia. Though researchers don’t know exactly how ECT works, the treatment is thought to spark electrical activity among brain cells and change the chemical balance in areas of the brain which play an important part in mood regulation. ECT treatment usually consists of 6-12 ECT sessions.Read more about ECT in this step-by-step guide: All you need to know about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) – Liberating modern ECT from old-fashioned stereotypes

Question 8

Does tDCS work?

Accepted Answer

tDCS is about as effective as antidepressant medication or psychotherapy when it comes to treating depression. Some research studies show that antidepressants are slightly more effective, and others demonstrate that tDCS offers comparable results. As with all evidence-based treatments for depression, tDCS works very well for some people, but others don’t get the results they hoped for. You should be able to feel a reduction of your depressive symptoms in about 3-4 weeks if it’s a treatment that works for you.  What makes tDCS increasingly popular is its mild side effect profile. Also, the fact that the technique is backed by more than 20 placebo-controlled trials, published in peer-reviewed journals. Read more about the effectiveness and history of tDCS here.

Question 9

What is tDCS?

Accepted Answer

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive, non-pharmacological and painless form of brain stimulation. It’s used to treat depression and chronic pain in the EU and the UK. tDCS delivers a weak direct current (0,5-2 mA) to specific brain areas via electrodes placed on the scalp, which helps the cortex of the brain become more easily excited. In depression treatment, the electrodes are placed on the forehead to target the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Side effects are less severe than those from antidepressants and include mild stinging sensations under the electrodes and mild headaches that pass after 30 minutes.Read more about tDCS on our front page or visit our tDCS page: What is transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)?

Question 10

What is Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

Accepted Answer

Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches us how to cope with mental problems by choosing our actions and by not letting negative thoughts and feelings take control of our behaviour. ACT can basically be described in two steps: 1) identify what is important to you 2) take concrete steps in that direction. The commitment part of ACT refers to the idea that we can achieve mental health by committing to actions that are consistent with our values. No matter how we feel, we can try to do the things that are most important to us, the things that give life meaning. Learn essential techniques from ACT here: How to cope with depression by finding the meaning of life

Mental health questions

About depression

What causes depression?

What does depression feel like?

What are the signs of depression?

What is depression?

Am I depressed?

The different faces of depression

What is severe/moderate/mild depression?

What is treatment-resistant depression?

What is postpartum depression (PPD)?

What is seasonal depression?

Are there different types of depression?

Treatments for depression

What is Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

What is the best treatment for treatment-resistant depression?

How do you stop being depressed?

Is there a natural treatment for depression?

What is the best depression treatment?

How do you treat depression?

About brain stimulation