Alternative treatments for depression?

[bishvabis]

I suffer from depression. Medication does not work for me nor does therapy.. does anyone have any suggestions about alternative methods?

[Zaf]

I'm sorry but I dont,  have you discussed it with your doctor fully?

[SteveW]

I have been in your position on several occasions and it is pleasant. The first thing to do is to check that you really have tried all the drug strategies. Have you taken at least one anti-depressant from every class for at least 8 weeks in maximum dose. You might have missed one out. Secondly have you taken all the recognized combinations of two anti-depressants taken together. Thirdly have you tried all the add ins-Lithium,Thyroid Hormone,Tryptophan. Then there are various other add ins like various mood stabilizers. You can find the complete list in 10th Edition Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines.If you have genuinely taken the lot there are various other physical treatments Vagal Nerve Stimulation, Trans Magnetic Stimulation, Light Therapy, and of course ECT. You could have trouble accessing these,except for ECT. No body likes to think about ECT but it can be effective when all else has failed. As regards therapy all I would say is that there are schools of therapy other than CBT,which I presume is what you tried.

If it helps you in any way I was discharged once from psychiatric outpatients as a treatment failure. But over a periods of months I gradually recovered spontaneously.

[SteveW]

To encourage you further. The first effective treatment for depression dates from Imipramine which was created in 1959. For thousands of years before that people have been getting depressed and getting better without the benefit of any effective treatment. A diagnosis of Treatment Resistant Depression is depressing but it is by no means the end.