Initial treatment

Treatment of depression may include antidepressant medication, professional counseling such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, or a combination of the two.

• Professional counseling may be all that you need for mild to moderate depression.⁷
• If your early symptoms are severe, your initial treatment most likely will include both antidepressants and professional counseling.
• Hospitalization may be necessary if you show warning signs of suicide, such as thoughts or plans about harming yourself or another person, detachment from reality (psychosis), or excessive use of alcohol or drugs.

Depression can lead to suicide. The warning signs of suicide change with age.

• Warning signs of suicide in children and teens may include preoccupation with death or suicide or a recent breakup of a relationship.
• Warning signs of suicide in adults may include alcohol or substance abuse, recent job loss, or divorce.
• Warning signs of suicide in older adults may include the recent death of a partner or diagnosis of a life-limiting illness.

Depression usually can be successfully treated with medication, professional counseling, or a combination of the two. However, it sometimes takes several attempts to find the medication and type of counseling that work best for you. You may start to feel better within 1 to 3 weeks of taking antidepressant medicine. But it can take as many as 6 to 8 weeks to see more improvement. If you have questions or concerns about your medicines, or if you do not notice any improvement by 3 weeks, talk to your doctor. You and your health professional will work together to find the right treatment.

If you think you may have depression, take a short quiz to evaluate your symptoms:

Interactive Tool: Are You Depressed?

Should I take medications to treat depression?

Should I take antidepressants during pregnancy?

If you have recently given birth, learning how to manage postpartum depression may help you recover more quickly.

How can I manage postpartum depression?

In rare cases, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an initial treatment choice for people who cannot take antidepressants, who have not responded to other treatments, or whose depression is severe and includes symptoms of psychosis, suicidal behavior, or an inability to eat.⁸ ECT involves an electric stimulation to the head which causes a brief seizure. This is thought to relieve depression by altering brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters.

Ongoing treatment

At least half of those who have one depression episode will have a recurrence of symptoms (relapse). Continuing to take antidepressant medicine after recovery reduces your risk of a relapse.⁹ Taking your medicine for at least 6 months after you feel better can help keep you from getting depressed again. If this is not the first time you have been depressed, your doctor may want you to take these medicines even longer.