There are a number of ways treat depression, some tried and true — psychotherapy, antidepressants and exercise — and some, depending on whom you ask, ranging from the sublime to the (seemingly) ridiculous. Here are seven unusual treatment options that you may have heard about, with a short discussion on their merits — or lack thereof.
Cuddling
There are professional cuddlers who claim that human contact, even if you have to pay for it, can help alleviate depression and anxiety. The theory is that human touch causes the body to release the hormone oxytocin, a mood elevator that is known to affect, among other things, mother-infant bonding during breast-feeding. But the evidence is at best mixed. Researchers at the University of California–San Diego School of Medicine studied whether oxytocin might help patients with schizophrenia, social anxiety and a variety of other disorders. The results revealed that the hormone did improve behaviors that promote social contact, such as eye contact and levels of trust, and boosted “social cognition” in depressed subjects, but it also “caused an increase in anxiety over the course of the therapy session.” These results agreed with another study that showed oxytocin may help people overcome social rejection but could lead to increased aggression.
[Read: How Do I Know If I Have Depression?]
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
TMS, for short, involves shooting targeted beams of magnetic energy inside the brain. It has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating depression that doesn’t respond to medications. According to Dr. Andrew Leuchter, director of the UCLA Semel Institute’s TMS clinical and research service, some studies have shown that TMS is better than medication for the treatment of chronic depression and the treatment is underutilized. “We are used to thinking of psychiatric treatments mostly in terms of either talk therapies, psychotherapy or medications,” Leuchter said in a 2017 press release. “TMS is a revolutionary kind of treatment.”
Dr. Eric Bui, associate director for research at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, agrees that TMS can be helpful, but like all medical treatments, it also has drawbacks. “The pro side is that this has proven efficacious and does not have the side effects common with antidepressants. Additionally, it can be combined with antidepressants,” he says. “The cons are that patients need to receive treatment, often within a hospital setting, several times a week for at least four to six weeks or so.”
Bouldering
Bouldering is a form of rock climbing. It is practiced low to the ground, so harnesses or ropes aren’t needed, but it still requires strength, precision and, above all, concentration on the task at hand. A 2017 study found that bouldering may also be an effective treatment for symptoms of depression. More than 100 subjects undertook bouldering in Germany, where some hospitals already use climbing therapy. They were scored for depression using a well-known symptom checklist. Those who bouldered for three hours a week over eight weeks improved one full severity grade, from moderate to mild.
The researchers believe that bouldering helps boost self-efficacy and social interactions, both of which are important when dealing with depression. “You have to be mindful and focused on the moment,” says study co-leader Eva-Maria Stelzer, a doctoral student of psychology at the University of Arizona. “It does not leave much room to let your mind wonder on things that may be going on in your life — you have to focus on not falling.” The authors also stress that bouldering can be an important complement to traditional treatments, but not a replacement for them.
[See: Am I Just Sad — or Actually Depressed?]
Probiotics
Probiotics have been promoted for their numerous healthful benefits, and there is now some evidence that they may also influence mood through what researchers call “the gut-brain axis.” A 2015 study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity followed 40 healthy young adults with no mood disorders. Half took a powdered supplement containing eight different types of bacteria that have previously been shown to lower symptoms of anxiety and depression. After four weeks, the group on probiotics reported they were significantly less likely to engage in rumination or aggressive thinking than the control group.
Although the researchers couldn’t determine why this is so, “These results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood,” the authors concluded. “As such, our findings shed an interesting new light on the potential of probiotics to serve as adjuvant or preventive therapy for depression.”
Ketamine
The synthetic drug ketamine, known among party circles since at least the 1960s as Special K, took a big step forward as a treatment option for depression in May. Over the past dozen years or so, several studies have shown that the drug, which is also used as an anesthetic, can be effective in treating severe depression when traditional antidepressants don’t work. In the recent study, researchers analyzed data from 8 million reports logged into the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System and discovered that patients who took ketamine had significantly fewer reports of depression than those taking any other drugs for pain.
“Like other psychotropic drugs it has the potential for misuse, but under careful monitoring it may be a lifesaving option of treatment for patients with severe depression,” says Dr. Cristina Cusin, of the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Depression Clinical and Research Program. However, the long-term potential side effects of those low doses of ketamine are not known, she adds. The American Psychiatric Association, agrees that ketamine is an exciting possibility, but that “Future research is needed to address these unanswered questions and concerns.”
[Read: Do Alternative Therapies Work for Depression?]
Hallucinogens
There is less evidence that hallucinogens like LSD and psilocybin may be an effective treatment for depression symptoms. One recent study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology tested psilocybin in conjunction with psychotherapy on 29 patients with cancer-related anxiety and depression.
The study found that the psilocybin produced “immediate, substantial and sustained improvements” in anxiety and depression, along with “decreases in cancer-related demoralization and hopelessness, improved spiritual well-being and increased quality of life.” And approximately 60 to 80 percent of participants continued with clinically significant reductions in depression or anxiety at follow-up testing more than six months later. When used along with psychotherapy, a single, moderate dose of psilocybin produced “rapid, robust and enduring” improvements in patients with cancer-related psychological distress, the researcher concluded.
But in an op-ed in the New York Times, Richard A. Friedman, a professor of clinical psychiatry and the director of the psychopharmacology clinic at the Weill Cornell Medical College, noted that the study “has some serious design flaws that cast doubt on the results (and which the authors mention briefly).” Additionally, Dr. Cusin says that “the evidence supporting LSD use is scarce and anecdotal, and a rigorous controlled trial will be necessary to establish the efficacy of LSD above placebo in patients with severe depression. Unlike ketamine, there is no medicinal use for LSD and clinical trials are extremely difficult to implement.”
Lithium
Lithium has long been used to treat bipolar disorder, with good results. As a mood stabilizer, lithium is also “very useful to prevent relapses from depression occurring as part of bipolar disorder,” Bui says. It may be helpful when used in addition to antidepressants and as preventive treatment for unipolar depression (depression occurring outside of bipolar disorder), he says. A large 2015 study also suggests that lithium is a potent antisuicidal drug.
“It could be helpful in major depressive disorder,” Cusin says. It can cause side effects, including drowsiness, stomach distress, tremors and impotence, and requires vigilant monitoring of blood levels, however.
More from U.S. News
Do Alternative Therapies Work for Depression?
What Is the Best Way to Treat Depression?
Am I Just Sad — or Actually Depressed?
7 Unusual Treatment Options to Battle Depression originally appeared on usnews.com
