When you read the boxed warnings about suicidal thoughts on some of the anti-depressant medications like Prozac, Zoloft or Tofranil, you begin to wonder what these drugs are really doing to our brains and what the long term effects will be. You may well wonder why there must be such a high price to pay, in every sense of the word, to access depression treatment which can destroy a person's life. But there is lots of good news about treatments for depression which concern alternative methods.

A friend of mine is going through a deep depression and one of his lifelines is a phone call from his brother who calls him every day. His brother is an ex alcoholic and works as an AA volunteer. Cultivating supportive relationships is one of the keys to successful depression treatment. Contact an old friend, make sure you have someone to call you regularly. Widening your social circle through volunteer work, sports clubs or whatever, can help to make you feel less isolated and distract you from your inner, deeper gloomy thoughts.Looking after diet, exercise and sleep are key to lifetsyle changes which can do wonders. The experts have even demonstrated that regular exercise can lift mood and in some cases, even do away with the necessity of taking anti-depressants. Imagine being able to survive without those medications and being able to actually enjoy your depression treatment!

When going through a long period of deep anxiety and stress connected with my work, I was able to improve the quality of my sleep by using a few simple techniques. I used to take melatonin which helps to make us sleep. I used dried lavender under my pillow which helped me to relax. Simple things like winding down before bedtime and even dimming the lights if you do not need them, can also help. For many years I have taken Valerian as a herbal aid to sleep and it has transformed my life. Lack of sleep can play havoc with your hormone and serotonin levels and can negatively impact on your serotonin levels the day after resulting in moodiness, negative thoughts and pessimism. Improving the quality of sleep is one of the most natural treatments for depression.

The other good news about treatments for depression is that talk therapy or psychotherapy is now regarded as an essential coping aid and especially helps patients to avoid another bout of depression in the future. Depression medication will never teach us those skills of analyzing our negative thoughts and trying to give them a positive twist. Once we have learned to do that, we can cope with most situations.

Treatments for depression can also include yoga, meditation and relaxation techniques. Natural light therapy or just natural sunshine also helps to lift our mood and especially those who suffer from

SAD Herbal remedies are now highly regarded in most medical circles but you have to make sure that the company manufacturing them is adhering to safety and purity standards which are controlled by the FDA.