What is treatment-resistant depression (TRD)?
Unfortunately, depression treatments don't always work. As many as two-thirds of people with depression aren't helped by the first antidepressant they try. Up to a third don't respond to several attempts at treatment. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) typically refers to an inadequate response to antidepressants.
How can TRD be treated?
Cognitive behavioral therapy
- This common type of counseling addresses thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that affect your mood. It helps you identify and change distorted or negative thinking patterns and teaches you skills to respond to life's challenges positively.
TMS
- This type of treatment uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression. An electromagnetic coil is placed against your scalp near your forehead. The electromagnet used in TMS creates electric currents that stimulate nerve cells in the region of your brain involved in mood control and depression. Typically, this treatment is delivered over 30-minute sessions in rapid bursts. There are two types of TMS. Deep TMS has been shown to have longer-lasting effects and to be more efficacious.
Esketamine
- Esketamine is a type of ketamine the FDA has approved FDA as an alternative for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Esketamine is derived from part of the ketamine molecule and is a nasal spray used to treat depression in adults.
If you believe you have depression and would like to make an appointment, call A Ray of Hope: Great Lakes Institute of Neurology and Psychiatry, at 847-268-3908 or make an appointment online today, for expert, multidisciplinary treatment for depression.
Author
Emilia Cantero
Social Media Liaison