Everything You Need to Know About Treatment-Resistant Depression (RTD)

Imagine suffering from depression, trying several medications only to realize that none works. Awful, right?…

Imagine suffering from depression, trying several medications only to realize that none works. Awful, right?

Well, for most people, a couple of antidepressants dose is their key to healing. And within weeks or months, they’re back to their original life.

But that’s not the case with treatment-resistant depression. It may take you months, but antidepressants won’t cut it.

Even worse, there’s no single known cause for this condition. For most people, it’s a combination of different factors and conditions. Such may include the family genetic disposition.

At this stage, only TMS therapy will work to manage your depression.

Here’s everything you need to know about treatment-resistant depression.

The Predisposing Factors

The truth is, there’s no way to predict the number of people susceptible to this condition with certainty. However, researchers have noted that some people tend to be more vulnerable than others.

For instance, RTD rates are higher in women and senior citizens. The causes may be either psychological or biological. People with recurring depression are also likely to suffer RTD.

A person suffering from depression and has another underlying condition like thyroid or chronic pain is also susceptible to RTD. Other conditions like sleep disorders and drug abuse may make you unresponsive to antidepressants.

Diverse Causes of Depression

Well, the biology behind depression is still a mystery to many. The popular theory is that depression results from a low feeling of happiness and well-being in our brain. Antidepressants are designed to cure this problem.

But that’s not the only cause. Recent studies show that depression inflammation in the brain leads to depression. As such, antidepressants won’t be effective here.

Signs and Symptoms pf RTD

How do you know that your depression is treatment-resistant? Well, if you try multiple antidepressants without any positive change in your health.

In most cases, antidepressants take about 10 weeks to deliver quality and excellent results. During the treatment period, faithfully take your medicine without skipping a dose. Pay close attention to:

  • Zero response to antidepressants
  • Slight improvement that slowly diminishes depression symptoms.
  • Increasing severe episodes of depression
  • Anxiety disorders

One must be careful to ensure they diagnose RTD correctly. For instance, a doctor may prescribe the wrong dose to a patient. You may forget to pack your medicine on a vacation. At times, you may forget to take a pill when needed. All these might force you to think that your medication isn’t working, a minor adjustment might deliver positive results.

RTD is Still Treatable

The term ‘treatment-resistant may spell doom to most patients. But it doesn’t have to. There are other tools like TMS therapy that doctors can use to treat your depression.

TMS therapy stands for transcranial magnetic stimulation. The stimulation techniques of TMS are non-invasive. But how does it work?

It uses electromagnetic induction to cause an electric current at a given brain area. TMS shows a diagnostic and therapeutic potential of treating different disease states in mental health and neurology. Perhaps, this is your only viable treatment option.