Over the years, psychiatry has been using the so-called shock therapy for various treatments. This kind of therapy can be considered therapy for depression. However, it is still a question if it really can cure depression. Now, experts assume that they might probably found out the reason behind it.

According to Jennifer Perrin a mental health researcher at the University of Aberdeen Scotland that the effectiveness of shock treatment in curing depression is on how it merely affects how the brain communicates with each other. It somehow interrupts the thinking capability of a person so, those feeling depression may find it difficult to feel further.

A psychiatrist by the name of Ian Reid said that: “We believe we’ve solved a 70-year-old therapeutic riddle,”

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as we understand today was claimed by researchers has lower side effect and serves to be as effective as any other treatment there is according to Perrin. Hence, doing a replacement treat can be a long way off she added.

This method is done by making electric currents passed through brain and triggers a brief seizure. ECT changes the chemistry in the brain and immediately. This is usually useful whenever the treatments are unsuccessful.

The only downside of this is that electroconvulsive therapy with high dosage may be administered without anesthesia that may costs memory loss, bone fracture, and other serious effects. However, with or technology today we can now attest that electroconvulsive is safer and settings can now be controlled for the patient’s benefit.

According to research, depression happens because of hyper-connectivity or over usage of the brain. Reid said “For the first time, we can point to something that ECT does in the brain that makes sense in the context of what we think is wrong in people who are depressed,”

By looking into how hyper-connection is being relived through the process then that would be the time when we can know the effectiveness of the treatment.

Moreover, Dr. Laura Gilley-Hensley, University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute said that “The study brings us a step closer to understanding how ECT works. But still, a question lies whether if the electrical stimulus can lead changes in the connectivity of the brain.

As of now, Gilley-Hensley added that they are not sure of how can it be much better than an antidepressant because it is not shown in the brain connectivity.

In the future, we might have a lead in finding out how precise ECT would be and if the risk can be reduced in that sense. Through the studying of the brain connectivity, you can see a way on how patients respond to the treatment.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can be handled with the use of light therapy. It is done by having exposure to artificial light. This disorder is a depression that may come about after a certain period and usually comes out during fall or winter.

This process is done by sitting or working near a light therapy box. It gives off a light that mimics a natural one. It aims to affect the brain chemicals linked to mood, easing SAD symptoms. This therapy is also used to treat sleep disorders and other conditions, and it can do more than that. This is because the light that reaches your eyeball from the interior is far less than the amount of the real thing to get from the outside. So, unless you are outside much of the day in the winter, then you might rely on electric light for your photos. Another name for this kind of therapy is bright light or phototherapy.