There may be instances where depression cannot be managed even with a combination of medical and psychotherapy. This is classified as treatment resistant depression. Never give up if this is your case. It is the least helpful thing you can do. You never want to go backwards in this battle.

Despite that you may find a treatment plan that is somehow effective at relieving your depressive state, never stop looking for the best treatment there is. People who find treatment that completely relieves symptoms have less chances of having a relapse of their depression later on. That’s why it’s important to be patient and not settle for a treatment that isn’t fully effective. Moreover, keep trying different treatments if your current treatment causes untolerable or bothering side effects.

Nonetheless, if the conventional ways for managing the mental illness which utilizes medications and psychotherapy haven’t been doing any better for your treatment-resistant depression, you may want to consult with a psychiatrist who specializes in treatment-resistant depression to discuss these additional treatment options.

These treatment regiman may include any of the following.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation. With this treatment, magnetic fields are used to alter brain activity. A large electromagnetic coil is held against your scalp near your forehead to produce an electrical current in your brain.

Vagus nerve stimulation. This treatment uses electrical impulses with a surgically implanted pulse generator to affect mood centers of the brain.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In ECT, electrical currents are passed through the brain to trigger a seizure. Although many people are leery of ECT and its side effects (such as confusion or amnesia), it typically offers immediate relief of even severe depression when other treatments don’t work.