Over the past 20 years, we've had a transformative change in the way we treat depression.
(Gerard Sanacora,PhD,MD,Yale School of Medicine)
There is a well-founded stereotype that it takes a long time to treat depression.
In 2019, the FDA approved Zulressu (brexanolone). It is the first drug specifically developed for postpartum depression, a form of major depression. It is a synthetic version of a steroid that the body produces naturally, although its mechanism of action is not fully understood. It affects our GABA receptors, which help regulate our mood.
Brexanolone is not easily taken like other antidepressants. You pass it through a vein in your arm in a healthcare facility for 60 hours. But it can work fast. At the end of your treatment, your symptoms of depression may begin to increase.
That same year, another breakthrough drug came out. Esketamine is a nasal spray available by prescription. The low-dose psychedelic drug increases glutamate activity in parts of your brain related to mood. Glutamate's job is to stimulate cells in the brain and nervous system. Esketamine can also trigger new connections in your brain. Sanacora says you may start to see improvements in your depression within hours or days of using it.
Medications are not the only treatment option for depression.
Electroconvulsive therapy has been used for almost a century. While it remains one of the most effective ways to dampen major depression that hasn't responded to other treatments, scientists have tweaked the procedure.
The nice thing is that electroconvulsive therapy uses less amperage than in the past. The goal is to provide the same benefits, but with less negative impact on memory and thinking skills.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation, which has fewer side effects than electroconvulsive therapy and is used to bridle depression, works by sending magnetic pulses around the skull.
Brain tissue converts these signals into electrical energy. This changes the way brain regions talk to each other.
There are many other treatments that are promising for depression in the near future. For example, deep brain stimulation... In this treatment method, electrodes are placed in the brain with a surgical operation. In this way, painless signals are sent that alter the electrical activity causing the symptoms.
Also, scientists are working on a drug called SAGE-217. To help prevent a serious relapse in people with depression. It should be taken as soon as the symptoms return before it is long overdue.
Magic mushrooms such as psilocybin are also a potential treatment. gives hope. Some studies show that these "magic mushrooms" can relieve depression as quickly as ketamine, and may even last longer than esketamine.
The good thing is that research on the human brain is getting much more attention now, and the literature is rapidly moving away from classical arguments. At least in the last 20 years, we have gained at least 100 years of knowledge.
