how can a person deal with depression without taking medication?

i know that he or she is very depressed- but the person is in denial. and they dont want to go to counseling?

Answers:
Medication and counseling are your best options.

The kind of counseling that I had was very good.

It's cognitive behavioral therapy. As they name implies it teaches you how to change thinking and behavior that keeps the depressed person in the cycle of depression. I honestly think that even people who are not clinically depressed could benefit from this therapy.

I also need, and still take, medication for my depression and anxiety, but some people can be treated without.

If it is you that are depressed, feel free to contact me if you need to. If it is a friend, I encourage you to research treatment options, and talk to your friend about your concerns. I recommend starting at WebMD.

If I can help, E-mail or IM

You can take Kira or St John's Wart. Try repenting, going to church every week, serving others, getting an education, accomplishing things, getting out into the sun more often, no more sad movies or books, etc., join a sports team, swim, etc.
sometimes self esteem may be the problem, u have to spend time talking to him, help him to overcome the depression. but be careful not to touch on anything sensitive.
talk to somebody or go shopping with somebody. always stay with somebody, avoid being alone. express urself. but if your depression lasted more than a week, u better see a dr coz that is not normqal anymore.
well, one, you can't force another person to seek treatment.and since that person is in denial, even without medication, it's not gonna work.it's the same with AA right, first step is to admit you have a problem..oh, the best thing you can do is to stay with the person, provide a structured environment and oh, put the patient on suicide precaution
unfortunately no one can make her. the best thing you can do is be there for encouragement, but speaking as someone who sufferes from depression, she can and most likely will push you away. she needs to face the problem whatever it is medication is not the only answer but it helps. tell her to talk to me if she doesn't wanna see a counselor :) i'm always good for a laugh
cognitive therapy
Talk with them and try to help them figure out what triggers the depression. Common ones are fatigue and stress. See if you can help them to relieve these triggers or find new ways to cope with them. Depression sometimes is nothing more than not being able to find a solution to a current problem. If you help them find the solution you can also help them up out of the depression.
He/she can stand at a street corner and send the loudest Bronx cheer to each and every passer by. This would bring a mental relief and act as a confidence-building measure without recourse to medicaments.
Being near a lot of water (the beach, a lake, etc. ) helps because there's more free oxygen in the air and it acutally makes you feel happier!

Sometimes your life sucks. Medication masks the problem but doesn't get rid of it--try helping him solve the problem thats making him depressed.

If you don't get enough sleep it can make you tired and depressed--see that he gets enough sleep (and doesnt' stay up all night on the computer!)
exercise, meditation, vitamin b6, changing lightbulbs to full spectrum (helps with seasonal depression), getting a pet, volunteering, spending more time with family and friends(assuming they aren't causing the depression), taking a vacation, finding a new job, taking up a new hobby (sports or something artsy), ect.

Exercise and mediation are really helpful. But, if the person really cannot stop being depressed, they SHOULD seek help. And not everyone who's depressed needs medication - some people just need someone to talk to, and to have a healthier and more productive lifestyle.
if depression by diagnosis of a psychiatrist then no way one can escape medictaion. if its dueto some stress, then removal of such stress can cure with no medication. none can help if one denies help and councelling can never be done without cooperation.
I wouldn't think there is to much you can do for them. Try suggesting a vitamin course. Like B's, E's, maybe some SAM-e or St johns wort. As a nutritionist or a pharmacy about some good supplements. A balanced diet and sleep. Have her check her hormones, like p/c pills, or if menopause, testosterone levels or maybe the adrenal glands or thyroid gland.
try make him happy
Exercise, proper nutrition and extra vitamin D (get it from sunshine). Exercise increases your uptake of seratonin, which regulates your mood. Antidepressants are supposed to do the same thing, but have nasty side-effects. I had a friend once who was on antidepressants that were not cotrolling her depression and the psychiatrist told her that either she could take a larger dose or she could start exercising regularly, as they would have the same effect. She started running 3-5 days a week and it really seemed to help. Good nutrition will keep your blood sugar level stable, which will help prevent mood swings, and getting plenty of water will help as well. All the best to your friend.
find something you really like that may actually increase the stress for a short while that has caused the depression, focus on that thing or item look at it from all directions, try and become immersed in it looking for alternatives to the things with in the selected focus. try altering, rephrasing, shrinking , enlarging all the variations that could be made and then write about your findings in a note pad, become involved and you'll be surprised at how the depression will begin to go as you're no longer focusing on it, we've been there this helped me through it i ended up with about six or seven folders of a4 paper with notes after deciding I would study disabilities in Europe it took me to the library letters to mep's etc I particularly studied the formation with new countries the make up of those countries from disabled people to how each country came to join which took me back to WW11 with Germany which led to the rise of hitler so studied his political career then into Italy , France joining countries like Poland and the gypsies and a never ending host of other things which i just scribbled down on an A4 page and then when reading them the next day items popped up and I thought why have I mentioned gypsies so went to the library found out what had gone on with them in various countries and made notes of it which also noted that similar things happened to gay people which led me to my next day and so on but over 3 years after I have some quite interesting reading and cant remember why i was depressed if I ever knew it just passed and led me to some areas I'd never have gone if I had not been depressed, now its just an interest when i feel like I've some spare time I read my last couple of days notes nowadays that might be a month or two earlier and off i go again and its just me in there getting to grips no time to be down or depressed there's so many things i want to find out. Whether it will work for you I don't know I think depression creates thoughts that a person feels quite wrongly in the main that they are not up to that which is expected of them whether as a parent, partner, family provider,worker or just being yourself is not good enough. Don't spend time trying to forget it as everyone will tell you live with it get angry with it inside say to yourself I'm me I'm going to stamp my personality on something then do it your way, write down why you think your way is best create an alternative to what you are now. I'm not in any shape or form an authority on this but I had no family and not many local friends coming as I do from the southern hemisphere, I got injured quite badly couldn't work, no visitors hardly in hospital and down I went without knowing why and treatment for the injuries has lasted 4 years and I feel quite at peace with myself i picked me up, dusted me down and got on with it and is one reason why i contribute to answers on this site, i keep on doing things for me, I'm never going back there whether it was the injuries fault or not.
I have found great success with Himilayan Goji Juice..I would love to share some testimonials with you.
give em a couple of lortabs
urge you to seek medical attention asap.and to please take medications as prescribed by a doctor also you have to work hard to get through yourdepression dont look for it to be gone over night IT WILL TAKE TIME !you are olny humantry to understand your triggers things that set you off so you can try to remove your self or reprogram yourself so you can cope try to talk about it as much as you can no matter how hardit is and it will be hard sometimes push yourself you deserve to be healthy and happy but remember normal is just a term not a standard to live by one day at a time one step at a time and try to journal your thoughts get into the habit of in a sense giving bad thoughts away in your journal close it and try tostart with a new thoughtas positive as you can just come up with one even if you cant do it at that time just get in the habit of replacing bad thoughts with something else,music journaling,talking,walking whatever makes you fell different at that moment i dont know if these suggestions will help i still in my process of healing myself but these are some of the things i do and they do help iwish you well ,take care of yourself you deserve it!
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