In an era when children and adults are all too readily prescribed medications for mental problems, a new study which has found cognitive behavioral therapy helps prevent teenage depression may be welcome news.
A study conducted at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, has found that adolescents at an increased risk of depression who participated in a group cognitive behavioral intervention (CB) experienced a considerable reduction of symptoms and depressive episodes compared to those who received usual care.
Specifically, they estimated that CB participants had only a 21.4 percent chance of experiencing a new bout of depression, as opposed to 32.7 percent rate for the other group.
“Most youth in the current study had a history of depression and thus the CB prevention program prevented recurrence,” the authors wrote in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“Therefore, this program may be useful as a continuation or maintenance intervention,” they concluded.
Other proven natural remedies for stress and depression include relaxation techniques, massages as well as herbal and nutritional supplements, especially those containing St. Johns Wort, folic acid, vitamin B6 and magnesium.
