Treatments can include medication, herbal remedies or 'talking treatments' such as counselling or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Which type of treatment is best for you will depend on your preference as well as how your depression has developed and whether it is mild, moderate or severe.

Talking treatments or antidepressants?

Research shows that talking treatments can successfully treat mild and moderate depression, whereas medication doesn't seem to help mild depression. However medication is as effective as talking treatments in helping people with moderate depression. Finally many psychiatrists believe that antidepressants are the most effective way of treating severe depression.

Sometimes mixing types of treatment can help, for example some people find that having some form of counselling or therapy after their mood has been lifted by antidepressants is a good combination. The talking treatment enables them to work on some of the things that might have caused the depression and thus make it less likely to return.

A slight spanner in the works is the fact that counselling and other services can be difficult to find in some areas of the country, although more and more GP practices now include these services. If yours does not it is still worth talking to your GP about whether counselling is available through your NHS Trust. There may also be national or local mental health charities (such as MIND) who can provide counselling services local to you, see our help and advice section for more information.