In addition to traditional therapies and drug treatments, various alternative methods and coping mechanisms have been explored for managing depressive disorders. Examples of these alternative methods include journaling, taking adapted cold showers, and gaming.

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Treatment and management methods for depressive disorders can be divided into different categories. These primary categories include drug treatments, therapies, and medical interventions.

Treatment and Management Methods for Depressive Disorders

- Monoamine hypothesis
- Monoamine Oxidase (MAO)
- Reserpine
- Tricyclics
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Drug Treatments for Depressive Disorders

A study following 280 patients suffering from chronic depression compared patients' conditions at time of assessment, before treatment, after treatment, and one year after treatment. Patients were either placed in an inpatient program or on a waiting list. Researchers found that participants who were placed in one of two inpatient programs scored significantly lower on the Beck Depression Inventory - II after treatment compared to those who were placed on a waiting list. Thus, the inpatient programs proved to be notably effective for individuals with chronic depression.

Effectiveness of Intensive Inpatient Program for Chronic Depression Patients

A case study was conducted in Thai Nguyen Province Vietnam, where 359 participants, aged 18-65 years, and their PHQ-9 scores were examined 12 months after a series of group psychotherapy sessions. Researchers found that participants' PHQ-9 scores decreased significantly after treatment, as the mean PHQ score dropped from 13.29 to 2.83 at the 12 month mark. 

Effectiveness of Group-Based Psychotherapy for Depression

While traditional treatment methods have proven to be successful, gaming has emerged as a new potential cheaper alternative. Studies have shown that games have improved socialization, cognition, goal setting, and emotion regulation amongst clinical and nonclinical participants.

Gaming as a Coping Mechanism

1. Kowal, M., Conroy, E., Ramsbottom, N., Smithies, T., Toth, A., & Campbell, M. (2020). Gaming your mental health: A narrative review on mitigating symptoms of depression and anxiety using commercial video games (preprint). JMIR Serious Games. https://doi.org/10.2196/preprints.26575

2. Eielsen, M., Ulvenes, P. G., Røssberg, J. I., Høstmælingen, A., Soma, C. S., & Wampold, B. E. (2022). The Effectiveness of an Intensive Inpatient Psychotherapy Program for Chronic Depression: A naturalistic comparison with wait list. BMC psychiatry, 22(1), 745. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04381-5

3. Do, M. T., Nguyen, T. T., & Tran, H. T. (2023). Twelve-month trajectories of depression after group-based psychotherapy led by nonspecialists at Primary Health Centers: A case study from Vietnam. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, 33(3), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbct.2023.09.002

4. Joshi, A. C., Ghogare, A. S., & Madavi, P. B. (2025). Systematic review of artificial intelligence enabled psychological interventions for depression and anxiety: A comprehensive analysis. Industrial psychiatry journal, 34(2), 158–166. https://doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_363_24

5. Shevchuk, N. A. (2008). Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment for depression. Medical Hypotheses, 70(5), 995–1001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2007.04.052

6. Ma, H., Cai, M., & Wang, H. (2021). Emotional Blunting in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Brief Non-systematic Review of Current Research. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 792960. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792960

7. Sohal, M., Singh, P., Dhillon, B. S., & Gill, H. S. (2022). Efficacy of journaling in the management of mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Family medicine and community health, 10(1), e001154. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2021-001154

8. Mota Pereira, J., & Fonte, D. (2018). Pets enhance antidepressant pharmacotherapy effects in patients with treatment resistant major depressive disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 104, 108–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.07.004 

References for Depression Treatment Methods

A review of 10 studies on the use of AI as a form of psychotherapy yielded positive results, as 71.67% of the studies noted AI's potential to identify and  treat mental disorders. Studies also indicate that therapy provided by AI chatbots were much more effective than self-led book therapy in alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms.

The Use of AI to Treat Depression

A study conducted on a small group of participants discovered that adapted cold showers were able to alleviate and reduce depressive symptoms. This hypothesis was supported by the fact that cold objects are able to affect the sympathetic nervous system and help stimulate neurotransmitter activity in the brain.

Cold Showers as a Treatment Method

Many MDD patients experience emotional numbness as a side effect of their antidepressants. Some patients simply experience a dulling of their emotions, while other patients may experience a complete inability to feel any emotions. In order to address this phenomenon, many providers either decrease the antidepressant dosage or recommend a switch in patients' medication.

Emotional Blunting as a Side Effect

A review on 20 trials on the effects of journaling supported the use of journaling for treating mental illnesses. Researchers found that journaling had a slight positive effect on many mental illnesses, including depression. Many researchers believe journaling should be implemented as a potential treatment method due to its low cost and self sustainability, although more research should be conducted on the subject.

Journaling as a Treatment Method

Therapies form a primary category of treatment for depressive disorders. Examples of this treatment method studied for their effectiveness include group-based psychotherapy, intensive inpatient psychotherapy programs, and therapy provided by AI chatbots.

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