I was wondering if anyone knew any natural ways to get rid of depression. I have a friend that is very depressed and I'm trying to help him out and I don't want him to get on anti-depressants because they're the leading cause of suicide (im not positive but I think). Anyway, any tips would be great.

Vitamin B complex and B 12, D3 is good in the winter, amino acid complex and omega fatty acid are good for depression and overall health.

If he does go to the antidepressants he has to check with the doctor about what he can and can't take with the antidepressants because some will counteract while others will over do the affect of it.

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Do you know which one is the best? I heard that Omega 3 that fish oil stuff is good. You can get amino acid pills at Walmart. Which ones do you guarantee getting?

Other ideas for him to try are spending more time in the sun, doing exercise, and drinking plenty of plain water.

There is logic behind each of the ideas, but just like the medicine, some people will say they work, and other people will say there is no evidence to prove it.

The meds may or may not help your friend, but as far as the meds being the leading cause of suicide, there is a lot of disagreement about that... for example, you must ask if people take the meds because they are suicidal, or do they become suicidal because of the meds?

Making guarantees about anything is not wise, Only suggestions for your own consideration

I've giving him a list of stuff to do before that involved like exercise but ill ask him to try some of these things. Most of the time he says he gets depressed before he goes to bed. I don't understand that.

The best omega's are the ones that have the mercury removed, A really good omega-3 fatty acid preparation has an EPA/DHA proportion of 30% at the most.

This site covers omegas pretty thoroughly

Atlantic ocean seal oil. Quality omega-3 oil. Tesco Enterprises

Perhaps he is feeling more tired at the time, and has less energy... There is also the possibility that he means when he feels the most depressed (tired) he then goes to bed. Some depressed people spend the entire day in bed.

There are a lot of things he could do to get exercise that many people would not even think of if you told them to go exercise. Any sort of work project that takes physical exertion... it doesn't have to be for pay... but it will give a feeling of accomplishment.

St. John's Wort is an herb used for treatment of depression. So is Blessed Thistle, Black Cohosh, Borage, and Blue Skullcap. There is an older book by Jeannine Parvati called, "Hygieia, A Woman's Herbal" in which she describes many herbs and plants and uses for women in the all stages of life. The herbs mentioned to reduce stress, induce calmness and for depression would work for either gender.

I am not endorsing it but it is an alternative to pharmaceuticals.

That is so true... when you are depressed you think I need to do... the dishes, pay the bills, run the sweeper. Then you think what is the use it will still be there tomorrow and go to sleep. Depression definitely has a direct effect on your energy level.
It is good to surround yourself with things to help make you feel energized like bright rooms, comfortable temperature, scented candles.

Speaking from experience--the only thing that worked was going on anti-depressants for a while and getting counseling.

I had to change the way I looked at things, and when you're in the midst of depression, it's impossible, because you start to think in circles, and you trap yourself.

Even if he does not want to take anti-depressants, he should probably see a doctor. I know that for me, seeing a counselor, along WITH the medication really helped me.

I no longer take anti-depressants, because with the help I got, I can catch myself before I hit that downward spiral, and change my attitude/habits.

I personally don't put a lot of stock in OTC treatments, because they didn't work for me, but that doesn't mean they haven't worked for others. The most important thing is to change his thinking, and he will probably need help to do it if he is at the point you are describing.

He doesn't want to talk to a doctor because he is scared his fam will find out. How do I talk him into going?

First... how old is he? If he's an adult, there's no reason his family WOULD find out.

If he's a minor--he will need his family's support. How can they help when they don't know what's wrong?

If he IS a minor, he may be able to talk to the school counselor. She may be able to give him ideas, a place to talk, ways to approach his family.

Besides--what's the worst that can happen if his family finds out? I dreaded telling my husband about my depression, thinking he would blame himself (and he did). Luckily, I had been to the doctor, and was able to give him information that talks about how depression is a disease, and a chemical imbalance in many cases, and that it wasn't anyone's fault, and then gave ways to help the depressed person.

Maybe his parents could help if they know he is depressed. If he doesn't want to go to a doctor maybe he could start with reading a book on depression. Here are some books on depression, one might be a help to him.

Psych Central: Depression: Books

He is 16. And his parents are most of the problem. Not like abusing or anything. They're fake. They been married for like 20 sometihn years I think and they aren't in love and he feels like his parents don't love and care about him. So that's one problem of his depression. He has more but I don't think he can talk to his parents. He said he didn't want to. Plus the high school I used to go to (where he goes) the counselors are stupid. They're no help.

The thing is... people expect counselors to help RIGHT NOW.

It almost never works that way.

Counseling is an ongoing process--how can someone help you when they don't know you? And how can your friends really help with something as big as depression, when they're not trained on how to help you?

I saw a counselor for 2 years. It took probably 6 months, going every 2 weeks, for me to make any progress. However--I DID make progress. I know now that I never would have on my own--the issues I was dealing with were too big for me, and the counselor showed me how to break them down to deal with them a little at a time.

At the same time--eventually, your friend will NEED to talk to his parents. How can someone change if you don't let them know they're doing something wrong?

That being said--it's not his job to fix his parents. He's not in charge of them or their actions. He's only in charge of himself.

He can get help and learn to be happier, or he can be depressed and hate his life until he figures out how to be happier--but that's not going to happen without him actually facing the bad things in his life and learning to deal with them in a positive manner.

I know what you mean about *stupid* counselors. I took my kids to counseling and the counselors were on narcissistic trips and just said uhhum to everything any of us said and never gave any imput other than what we already knew.

But synnen is right too about counselors. The trick is finding a good one.

Im going to talk to him about that and try to prosuade him. Do you know if they sell St John Wort pills or something and if they do like at Wal-mart? Omega 3 pills are perfectly healthy right. No side affects or anything?

St Johns wart is one of the last ones I would try. Many people say it doesn't do a thing for them. Wal Mart sells a lot of vitamins and herbs you have to be careful some of their brands aren't all that good. There are supplement catalogs you can get on the internet that have buy one get one free that are really cheap when you get them that way.
One of the ones I use is Puritans Pride.

Here is a search engine full of pro/con on st John's wart.

st johns wart pro and con - Google Search

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is not to let the depression go on very long... the longer without treatment of any kind, the more *entrenched* the depression becomes.

Take him to his family physician immediately and tell him/her about the problem.

Immediate intervention is a must!

Good Luck!

Yeah Choux is right if alternatives are not working within a month or two at most then it is best to go for the prescription. Sometimes with some vitamins and herbs you can do both the alternative and the meds.