Treatments inTandem

A look at different types of complementary medicine that can boost your mental health, and how a combination of Eastern and Western therapies can help with disorders like depression and anxiety.

Dealing with depression holistically

Major depressive disorder, or depression, is a disabling condition characterised by intense feelings of emptiness, worthlessness, loneliness, hopelessness and despair. It can greatly impair a person’s family, work or school life, their sleep and eating habits, and their general wellbeing.

Talk it out

In Western medicine, clinical depression is typically treated with antidepressant medication. While this may be an effective solution on its own for some, depression treatment doesn’t need to rely solely on medication. Often, a multidisciplinary approach can be beneficial – and psychotherapy (talk therapy) is one technique that can help.

DR JACOB RAJESH is a Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Promises Healthcare, a provider that offers holistic specialist care in mental health and addictions. This includes a range of psychiatric, psychological and wellbeing services for patients of all ages.

Dr Rajesh says that, while seeing a psychiatrist for anti-depressant medication can certainly be a good first step in managing depression, psychotherapy can address the underlying causes of the depression. So, in addition to prescribing medication for moderate to severe depression symptoms, he usually recommends psychotherapy in its various forms: cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, interpersonal therapy or family therapy, depending on the psychosocial stressors. The two treatments work hand-in-hand, with the medication playing a key role in stabilising the sufferer’s chemical and biological changes.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

For people with depression who haven’t responded to anti-depressants or have severe side effects from medication, there is an alternative non-drug treatment available, and Promises is the only private centre in Singapore to offer it.

Called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), the technique uses 3,000 electromagnetic pulses to stimulate the area of the brain that regulates moods.

Unlike electroconvulsive therapy, which is more for people with severe psychotic depression, TMS doesn’t require any sedation, explains Dr Rajesh. The patient remains alert and awake for the entire outpatient procedure, and there are no major side effects. Typically, 20 to 30 sessions are required, lasting 40 minutes each.

This type of treatment can also be used to complement anti-depressants. “If anti-depressants alone aren’t helping, TMS can augment the medication,” says Dr Rajesh. In fact, he says it’s best to take medication alongside TMS, as it’s possible for the patient to relapse once the treatment stops.

Promises Healthcare

#09-22/23 Novena Medical Centre, 10 Sinaran Drive

6397 7309 | promises.com.sg