Fighting Depression Safely and Effectively

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

online conference transcript

Dr. Michael B. Schachter, our guest tonight, is a board-certified psychiatrist and author of the book: What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Depression: The Breakthrough Integrative Approach for Effective Treatment.

Natalie is the HealthyPlace.com moderator.

The people in blue are audience members

Natalie: Good evening. I'm Natalie, your moderator for tonight's Depression chat conference. I want to welcome everyone to the HealthyPlace.com website. Here's the link to the HealthyPlace.com Depression Community. You can click on this link and sign up for the mail list at the top of the page so you can keep up with events like this. There's a lot of info there on depression (visit the Depression Community Center) and antidepressant medications (see complete list of articles on antidepressants).

Tonight, we are going to discuss how to fight depression safely and effectively.

Dr. Michael B. Schachter, our guest tonight, is a board-certified psychiatrist and author of the book: What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Depression: The Breakthrough Integrative Approach for Effective Treatment. Dr. Schachter graduated magna cum laude from Columbia College and received his medical degree from Columbia in 1965. He has been involved with alternative and complementary medicine since 1974 and is a recognized leader in orthomolecular psychiatry and nutritional medicine.

Dr. Schachter maintains that you can effectively deal with depression through healthy living and eating habits as well as by using supplements, vitamins, minerals and other non-prescription treatments (see: Natural Antidepressants: An Alternative to Antidepressants).

Good evening, Dr. Schachter and thank you for joining us. What is it that your doctor may NOT tell you about depression?

Dr. Schachter: Many factors may contribute to a person's depressed state and many of them are not considered by conventional physicians or psychiatrists (See: Causes of Depression: What Causes Depression?). Among these factors are: one's diet, toxic factors (such as artificial sweeteners), suboptimal levels of vitamins and minerals like the B complex, magnesium and zinc, hormonal imbalances, deficiency of various neurotransmitters (such as serotonin or dopamine), lack of activity and exercise, adverse effects of many medications (such as blood pressure medications and even antidepressants) and diseases (such as Lyme disease). All of these things should be considered when evaluating a depressed patient, but the typical response of most conventional physicians and psychiatrists is to write a prescription for an antidepressant medication.

Natalie: I think many people believe that depression really results from two things: 1) a bad situation the person may be in, or 2) something is wrong with their neurotransmitters. Are you saying there's more to depression than that?

Dr. Schachter: Yes, many other factors need to be considered, such as hormone imbalances, diet, nutritional deficiencies, toxicity etc..

Natalie: A lot of people, medical professionals and patients alike, maintain that alternative or complementary medicine, things like nutritional supplements, vitamins and diet regulation, are a lot of bunk and just don't work when it comes to treating something as serious as depression. Using these natural methods of treatment, what results have you seen?

Dr. Schachter: Our results in treating depressed patients are excellent. It is almost like solving a jig saw puzzle trying to figure out which of the many factors mentioned previously are playing a significant role in this particular patient's depression. Once you get the right combination, patient's improve without the significant potential side effects of medication.

Natalie: So what does a typical exam for a patient presenting with depression look like when they come to your office?

Dr. Schachter: In our practice, we occasionally prescribe antidepressant medication, but generally as a last resort, rather than a first option. We usually will try various natural treatment first. If these are not sufficient, we will usually add an antidepressant to the program, using as low a dosage as possible to try to avoid adverse effects. Frequently, when using various non-drug adjuncts, the dosage of antidepressant can be much lower.

Natalie: How do you determine what is causing depression in a person?

Dr. Schachter: We recommend a thorough evaluation with a full medical and psychological history, including what medications have been taken recently, a dietary evaluation, a variety of tests that may include: various vitamin levels (like vitamin D and B12 and others), a search for mineral toxicity (such as mercury), and mineral deficiencies, a urine test to measure neurotransmitters (like serotonin and dopamine), a saliva test to measure various hormones (such as DHEA, cortisol, sex.) From this assessment, the treatment evolves. However, we have some general rules about avoiding sugar, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco and do give each patient a list of things to avoid and other things that are desirable.

Natalie: I noticed that you mentioned earlier that you do give patients antidepressants on occasion. Do you believe they are effective in treating depression and in what instances would you recommend a patient take them?

Dr. Schachter: In our practice, we occasionally prescribe antidepressant medication, but generally as a last resort, rather than a first option. We usually will try various natural treatment first. If these are not sufficient, we will usually add an antidepressant to the program, using as low a dosage as possible to try to avoid adverse effects. Frequently, when using various non-drug adjuncts, the dosage of antidepressant can be much lower. Also, in some very serious depressions, we might start the medication right away along with other measures we might use.