It’s estimated that 280 million people in the world have depression, and yet this mood disorder feels so isolating.
Depression can negatively impact all aspects of your life, including relationships, work, and hobbies. Although anyone who has lived through abuse, severe losses, or other stressful events is at a higher risk of developing this mental illness, it can happen to anyone.
Fortunately, depression treatment options continue to expand as we talk about this mental illness. In fact, at Coastal Carolina Internal Medicine PA, we offer alternative treatment for depression in Jacksonville, NC. To learn more about our treatments, it all starts with a conversation.
Consultation
When you meet with our team, we encourage you to speak openly about your symptoms and concerns. Knowing this conversation may be difficult, we want to reassure you that you’re in a safe space. We’ve made it our mission to cultivate trust, compassion, and communication into our practice. Our diverse and inclusive workplace reflects our commitment to creating a welcoming and safe environment for all patients.
Treatments
After the initial discussion, we hope you’ll feel relieved, like a weight being lifted off of you. We offer alternative treatment to complement medications. If you’re concerned about side effects or the long-term commitment to medications, we can discuss this during the consultation.
ExoMind
ExoMind is an FDA-cleared noninvasive mental wellness treatment that supports cognitive function and mental health. Using electromagnetic technology, this transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device improves brain function, emotional balance, and overall wellness. While ExoMind does not replace medications or other treatments for depression, it further enhances their effects.
Lifestyle Management
At Coastal Carolina, we believe strongly in pairing medications with a healthy lifestyle. During your appointment, we can talk about the importance of holistic decisions to improve depression symptoms, some of which include:
- Regular exercise – Exercise releases endorphins, hormones that improve your sense of well-being. It can also become a healthier coping mechanism to reduce stress.
- Adequate sleep – It’s important to understand that too much or too little sleep can negatively affect your depression symptoms. We recommend aiming for 7 to 9 hours of sleep and setting a consistent sleep schedule. During your appointment, please tell us if you have trouble falling asleep, or if you sleep too often.
- Healthy diet – According to a recent controlled trial, participants who followed a Mediterranean-style diet for 3 weeks noticed an improvement in depression, stress, and anxiety symptoms. Participants who continued to eat processed and sugary foods didn’t notice any change in their mental health. At Coastal Carolina, we can provide you with guidance and resources to improve your diet.
Traditional Treatments
For some patients, we will refer you to a specialist like a psychiatrist or psychologist who can offer medications and therapeutic approaches. We will listen to all of your symptoms and concerns and create a treatment plan to help you manage your mental health.
Take the First Step Towards Managing Your Mental Health
It all starts with a conversation. After discussing your symptoms, you’ll realize that you’re not alone. In fact, one form of alternative treatment for depression in Jacksonville, NC, is talk therapy, and we can refer you to the right specialist to start that process. With treatments like ExoMind and lifestyle management, we can help you find the right treatment for your concerns.
To begin the process, you can try our treatment planning tool. Once we receive your submission, we will reach out to discuss available treatment options and appointment times.
You can also request an appointment to speak with a provider face-to-face.
