Other Treatments for Depression

• Exercise
  Exercise may be helpful in reducing the symptoms of depression for mild to moderate depression. Though exercise has been shown to help prevent the recurrence of depression, it has not yet been proven to be an effective treatment in the same way as antidepressant medication and psychotherapy.

• Phototherapy, or Light Therapy
  Light therapy involves providing a special kind of light (broad-spectrum light) to give people the effect of having a few extra hours of daylight each day. Light therapy may help people who have mild or moderate seasonal depression.

• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
  Most depression, even severe depression, can be treated completely with medicine, psychotherapy, or combination of both. However, in cases where an individual is in danger of doing harm to themselves, or when adequate trials of numerous medications have not worked, ECT represents a viable treatment option. ECT, or "shock therapy" involves a direct and quick administration of electrical impulses to the brain that helps to alter brain chemistry.
  
  In recent years, ECT has been much improved. A muscle relaxant and a general anesthetic is given before treatment, and electrodes are placed at precise locations on the head to deliver electrical impulses.

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